Who We Think We Are
by IGottaFindYou
Summary: The daughter of a Criminal and a Princess, Connie Bender attends her first Saturday Detention.
1. Big News

_Disclaimer : I love this movie, I love Bender and Claire, but I don't own any of them. Connie's mine though, you can't have her. :P_

Chapter One : The Big News

_Just do it_, she thought to herself. _You can do this_.

Connie Bender took a deep breath, smoothed down her dirty blonde hair (which she did when she got nervous), and turned the doorknob to open the front door….

In all her 16 years, she had never been more uncertain of what to expect when she entered her house. Well, except for that one time, when her mom had told her when she left for school that her birthday cake would be ready and out of the oven by the time she got home.

But this was even bigger than a birthday cake.

She stepped inside, shut the door behind her and announced her presence, just like any other day.

"MOOOM! I'M HOOOME!"

Just down the front hall, directly in front of Connie, was a great view of her mother jumping in surprise and turning away from the kitchen sink.

Claire Bender breathed a sigh of relief and took her hand off of her heart.

"Connie! How many times do I have to tell you not to DO that!" Claire scolded as Connie

came into the kitchen.

"Sorry," Connie apologized, then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Mom! I'm home!"

Claire smoothed back her red hair and rolled her eyes.

"You're so much like your father," she told her,"what a shame."

Connie smirked.

"Speaking of your father," Claire continued, "go wake him up from his nap after you've put your backpack in your room. Dinner's ready."

Connie nodded. She walked back out of the kitchen and trudged up the stairs.

Dinner, she thought. That's when I'll tell them.

But how would the benders react to their daughter getting Saturday detention?

* * *

_Ooh! The suspense! How WILL Connie's parents react? Will the reaction be good, bad, ugly? TUNE IN!_

_And REVIEW please! This is my first story and I could really use the feedback!_


	2. The Best Times For A Remote Control

Disclaimer : I own nobody except Connie (so far…!) So don't sue me, Mr. Hughes!

Author's Note : First of all, thank you for reviewing, it really helps me and I greatly appreciate it. Especially MidnightBlue88, thanks for all the great tips! Sorry I've kept you waiting over the past few weeks, but there were some complications with my story, my computer's been totally screwed up and I was also in Orlando during Christmas vacation so I didn't get the chance to update, but I DID get the chance to write a bit more! So here's your second chapter, I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 2 : The Best Times For A Remote Control

Connie opened her bedroom door and nonchalantly tossed her backpack across the room. Rather than landing on her bed, like she was aiming for, it landed (with a thump) on the floor, on the other side of the bed.

Cursing her bad aim, but inwardly complimenting herself on her throwing arm, Connie shut the door and proceeded to walk to her parents' room at the other end of the hall.

She heard her father's snoring before she even reached her parents' bedroom door. Connie just smiled to herself and opened the door to look in on her dad.

Connie's dad co-owned an auto garage downtown and also worked there as an auto mechanic. Sometimes, when they were behind on paperwork or a car needed some extra work done on it, he had to stay late and work, sometimes through the whole night.

Last night had clearly been one of those nights, Connie could see as she watched her father snore away.

John Bender was sprawled out, almost diagonally, across the bed. One arm was tucked under his pillow while the other arm hung limply off the bed, nearly touching the floor. He didn't seem to have a care in the world.

According to Connie's mother, John used to act that way when he was awake, too. In high school, John had been a slacker. His teenage rebellion had started in his childhood, he hadn't cared about anyone, and no one cared about him. Not even his own parents.

But apparently, that had started to change on March 24, 1984.

…..The first time her parents had been in Saturday detention together.

Oddly, whenever her father had started to tell her stories about that day, Connie's mother always seemed to stop him before he got into much detail about the things that had happened in that library.

For instance, once, when Claire wasn't even home from work yet, John had tried to talk to his daughter about drugs.

Flashback

_"You're gonna tell me about drugs, dad?" Connie asked, wishing she could wake up from this horrible, after – school – special – nightmare._

_"Hey, drugs are bad things kid. Nobody knows that better than your old man. Except maybe Sid and Nancy and Kurt and Courtney."_

_"Ozzy, too."_

_"Right. Anyway, you know you can always talk to me about this stuff right ? Y'know, whether it's sex or drugs, rock n' roll…"_

_"Dad…!"_

_"I'm SERIOUS! I promise, I'll be cool about it. I'm a cool dad, aren't I?" here father asked._

_"Well, sure, but then again, everyone used to think Mr. Brady was a cool dad, too," Connie pointed out._

_"Oh yeah, Mr. Brady…" John mumbled. "I HATED Mr. Brady! Him and all his annoyingly happy kids -!"_

_"DAD!"_

_"Yeah?" John looked back at his daughter. "Oh, right! Drugs! Well…," he cleared his throat ,"you don't ever wanna get into that stuff, kid. Cuz I've been into that stuff, and look how I turned out!" he laughed at his own joke._

_"Hell, you MOM'S even dabbled - !"_

_"MOM!" Connie couldn't believe her ears. Claire bender did NOT seem like a druggie - as – a – juvenile – mom!_

_"Yeah, mom!" said John. "Geez, I remember this one time, back in '84, when we were in saturday detention – "_

_All the sudden, the phone started ringing in the kitchen, so John got up and went to answer it._

_"Hello?...Cherry! Hey, babe, I was just tellin' Connie about – "_

_But obviously Connie's mother had cut her husband off, because he was silent for a few minutes as he listened to his wife. He then attempted to talk again._

_"How the hell did you - ?"_

_"But what - ?"_

_"Claire, how - ?"_

_He went quiet again as he listened to his wife jabbering away on the other end._

_A couple minutes later, John hung up the phone and went back into the living room._

_He sat back down on the couch beside Connie and she smiled sweetly at him, trying not to laugh._

_"Weell….?" She prodded, "What bad things did mom do in the Great Saturday Detention of '84?"_

_Her father just sighed and pushed a button on the remote, turning on the TV._

_"I'm not permitted to say…"_

_"Oh, come ON, dad - !"_

_"Drugs are bad, stay away from 'em! That's all you have to know!" her dad told her, attempting to end the conversation._

_"So… I don't get ANYTHING?" Connie asked, batting her eyelashes. Luckily for her, she had inherited her mother's sweet – and – innocent – "pleeease daddy?" – look._

_"Connie, that woman threatened my MANHOOD, for God's sake!" John told her._

_"OK, ew," said Connie, and she turned in her seat so she could watch the TV._

_"I mean, seriously!" her dad muttered under his breath, and looked toward the kitchen._

_"How the hell did she DO that…?"_

End of Flashback

Connie smiled at the memory, but then she snapped back to reality and pondered how to complete the task at hand….

Waking up her father.

It was tougher then it sounded, waking up John Bender. He slept like a rock. Unless, of course, Connie was sneaking in past curfew. She wouldn't even be at the middle of the stairs when she'd see her father waiting for her at the top.

Connie sighed and walked toward her sleeping father.

She crouched beside the bed so she could be at his eye – level.

"Dad," she said,"dinner's ready."

John's eyes remained closed and the snoring continued.

"Dad, mom wants us BOTH downstairs for dinner."

"Her father responded with some more snores.

"BOTH of us, dad. Me AND you."

Still, the snores kept coming.

Connie sighed. She had a limited amount of time, so she might as well bring out the big guns.

"Dad, if you don't wake up soon, mom's gonna get impatient and come up here herself."

The snoring faltered slightly.

"And she'll probably send me downstairs," Connie continued. "So there will be NO WITNESSES when you get in trouble for delaying dinner!"

Suddenly, her father's eyes flew open.

"What're you doin' up here, kiddo?" John asked, sitting up and checking the digital clock on the night - table. "Isn't it dinner time? Geez, c'mon, kid! Your mom will strangle us if we delay dinner! You know how she gets!"

John hurriedly got out of bed and gently pushed his daughter along, ahead of him, as they went downstairs for dinner.

John and Connie rushed down the stairs but stopped in the doorway to the kitchen.

This was the part of every day when they both wished they had a remote control.

If they did have a remote control (one of those magical, universal ones that controlled time) then they could push the Stop and Rewind buttons, so they could have a few more hours of plotting excuses and escape plans they could use to get out of eating Claire Bender's cooking.

Or even a Fast Forward button, that way dinner would be quicker and less painful.

Now, John loved his wife, and Connie loved her mother…so it was always a mystery to them why Claire wanted to poison them both with her God – awful homecooking.

"OK," John muttered, as he watched Claire finish setting the table.

"Let's do it."

Connie nodded, solemnly, and they walked into the kitchen together.

The Bender house didn't have an actual dining room, but they did have a good – sized kitchen.

One half of the room contained the fridge, and a kitchen sink with cupboards and cabinets (painted deep red by John himself) above and below it.

The other half of the room was where the table was…where John and Connie forced food down their throats every day, just to make Claire happy.

Claire looked up at her husband and daughter and smiled.

"Oh, good to see you're up," she said to John, then glanced between the two of them, "So, ya ready to eat?"

"As I'll ever be," Connie muttered under her breath, forcing a smile.

John elbowed his daughter in the ribs and they went to sit down.

As Claire ate her dinner contently, John and Connie mostly just nibbled at it and tried to figure out what it was.

Unlike her father, Connie's loss of appetite wasn't just the fault of the…"food' in front of her, it was also because of what was on her mind at the moment.

Saturday detention.

Hundreds of frustrating questions were going through her mind, hardly any of them could be answered without help from her parents.

Saturday detention…

_Would it really be so bad?_

_How many people would be there?_

_Would any of them be nice to her?_

_What were the rules?_

_Could she get out early on good behaviour?_

_Would there be girls in one room and boys in the other?_

_Would they be put to work?_

And of course, a question Connie was sure every Saturday DT victim asked themselves at least once…..

_WHY ME?_

This was it, she couldn't take it anymore, she had to tell her parents.

Oh, but they just started up a conversation, and her mom always told her that it was rude to interrupt other people's conversations!

But oh, how that slip of paper was burning a hole in her pocket…..

" – Seriously, Princess, what do ya put in this stuff? Cuz it's just GREAT!"

"Oh? Well –"

"I got Saturday detention!" Connie blurted out.

Her parents both immediately stopped talking. Claire's fork dropped from her hand, onto her plate, with a clatter.

Her parents just stared at her.

_Boy_, thought Connie. _I'd give anything for a remote control right about now_…..

* * *

_I know, it's been forever since I've updated! I'm sorry! But you'll just have to try and be patient with me, OK? As you will with this story. I say that becuase we still have about one more chapter to go before Connie's in detention._

_And yes, i know the last chapter was unbelievably short, sorry about that._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	3. Sins Of The Father

_Disclaimer : Hughes owns Bender and Claire, and the Breakfast Club, but I have ownership of the Bender offspring. ) (kinda makes me sound a tad evil, doesn't it?)_

_Author's Notes : Well, Before we begin, THANKYOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of my lovely reviewers! I'm glad you all like it so far, if you have any other kinds of tips or comments tho, feel free to send them in. Nothing too harsh tho, OK? I'm new to this whole reviewing concept, thus, fragile. Also, I'm sorry if I don't update for two or even three weeks at a time, but I am continually busy with schoolwork (high school's a bitch!) and other things, thanks for your patience you guys!_

_This chapter, we get a short Bender/Claire confrontation, without Connie. The reason Connie's getting Saturday detention in the first place is also revealed!_

Chapter 3 : Sins Of The Father…And Mother, And Daughter

_"I got Saturday detention!" Connie blurted out._

_Her parents both stopped talking. Claire's fork dropped from her hand and landed on her plate with a clatter._

_…And they both stared at her_.

_Boy, thought Connie. I'd give anything for a remote right about now…_

* * *

There was silence.

Connie stared down at her plate, her mother stared at her, and her father just stared ahead, eyes widened and blinking. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, only to close it again.

Connie finally spoke.

"So I guess I'll …" she gestured with her thumb to the kitchen doorway, and rose from her chair.

"Sit," said her father.

Connie sat.

John finally turned his head, to look his daughter in the eye…and he smirked.

Wait a minute…he smirked?

Connie blinked, thinking it might've been just been her imagination, but no…

John Bender was sporting a full – on, lopsided, grin.

Then he chuckled.

Oh no! Connie thought, glancing at her still – silent mother.

I drove them into insanity!

"What'd ya do?" her father asked.

"Connie blinked, and glanced back at her father. "Huh?" she asked.

"What'd ya do to get Saturday detention?" her father asked. "C'mon, I wanna hear the gory details."

"You didn't skip school to shop, did you?" her mother finally spoke up.

Connie glanced at her mother, slightly surprised.

"Uh, no," she answered. "I'm broke."

"Ya didn't pull the fire alarm, did you?" her father asked, clasping his hands together behind his head. "Cuz trust me, that one's been done."

Connie shook her head.

"No," she said.

"Well, so…what happened?" her father asked.

Connie looked at both of her parents for a moment, then spoke.

"I kinda…beat the crap outta one of the football players."

"WHAT?" her mother screeched.

Her father, however, howled with laughter.

"…In the school hallway," Connie continued.

"Oh my God," her mother closed her eyes and rested her head on her hand.

"Oh…my…God!" Connie's father repeated, trying to catch his breath.

"…It made him late for class."

"Oh, Connie!" said her dad, still chuckling. "Please stop, it's not nice to kill your father!"

"John, she beat somebody up!" Connie's mother pointed out.

"I know!" Connie's dad laughed.

"JOHN!"

"Claire, it was an athlete!"

"She BEAT somebody UP!"

"But it was an ATHLETE!" her father started howling again.

"John, she used violence in school!" said Connie's mother. "That's NOT good!"

"Yeah," said Connie, "Mr. Vernon wasn't too impressed, either."

Her father nearly choked, and he wasn't even eating.

"Vernon?" he asked, then looked at his wife.

"VERNON?" he repeated.

"Yeah, Mr. Vernon," said Connie. "He's the head principal at my school."

Connie's father just stared at her, then he turned his attention to his wife.

"Did you know about this?" he asked her.

His wife nodded.

"I saw him at Parent/Teacher night," she said. "I then turned and walked away as fast as I could."

"That's my girl," mumbled Connie's father.

"I asked Connie's English teacher about him and she said he's been principal for about ten years now," her mother continued.

"But we've been to that school a million times since Connie started going there!" Connie's father pointed out. "How come we've never seen him?"

"Maybe he was just trying to avoid you," Connie suggested.

Her father considered that.

"It's extremely likely," he said, then he glanced at Connie and his tone grew more serious.

"Ok, go spend some time in your room now. I'll talk to you some more later."

Connie nodded and left the room.

* * *

Nearly two hours later, John and Claire were in their bedroom. Claire was sitting on the bed, watching John pace in front of her, deep in thought.

"So, if Vernon is head principal, that means he con get other teachers to supervise detention, right?" he asked her, "he doesn't have to do it?"

"I dunno," said Claire. "Probably."

"Well, if he IS doing it, he better – " but John stopped in mid – sentence, and continued to pace.

"I don't want that asshole messing with her, Claire. I don't want her pay for everything I did more than twenty years ago."

"Well, what makes you think he'd do something like that, anyway?" Claire asked. "Who knows? Maybe he's changed after all."

"No," said John. "I doubt it."

"Well, why not? I mean, you've changed," said Claire.

John stopped pacing and cocked his eyebrow.

"Well…somewhat," Claire added.

"You don't get it…" said John, as he remembered the conversation he'd had with Vernon in that supply closet, more than twenty years before.

"…He promised me."

" _...But someday, man, someday.  
__When you're outta here and you've  
forgotten all about this place...  
And they've forgotten all about you  
and you're wrapped up in your own  
pathetic life...I'm gonna be there.  
That's right. And I'm gonna kick  
the living shit out of you, man, I'm  
gonna knock your dick in the dirt!"_

* * *

Connie waited for her father in her room, doing nothing at all but laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Her father had actually seemed proud of her. Proud! Most of her friends had fathers who would hit the roof if they found out their kid had to go to Saturday detention.

But not John Bender.

As Connie thought about it, she realized that he had never been that kind of a father. Sure, he'd gotten angry with her sometimes, only because it was his right at a parent. But the next day, he'd always pick her up from school and buy them both hot dogs on the way home, so they at least had SOMETHING good to eat once in a while.

Once, Connie mentioned to her mother that her grandparents (whom she barely saw, but received cards from on holidays) obviously raised him right.

Her mother's eyes went wide for a few seconds, then she quickly changed the subject.

Connie's dad rarely talked about his past, and because of her mother, rarely got to say anything about "The Great Saturday Detention Of '84".

Just then, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"C'mon in!" she said.

The door opened, and her dad came into the room.

"Hey, kid," he greeted.

"Hey back," she said.

Her father gestured to her desk chair, that was pushed in close to her desk, which was right against the wall next to the bed.

Connie nodded. "Go ahead," she said.

So her dad pulled out the chair and sat down on it, backwards.

"Look kiddo," he began," believe it or not, but I'm in a very tough position right now."

"So just turn the chair around – "

" – Not what I meant,' her dad cut her off. "Now just listen to me for a minute or two, OK? No interruptions."

Connie nodded.

Her dad paused for a second, then he began. "Watch your back tomorrow, OK? And I don't necessarily mean with the kids you'll be doing time with, you were blessed with my big mouth, you can handle them."

Connie smirked.

"I'm talkin' about Dick," her father continued. "Uh…Mr.Vernon. See, when I was in high school with your mom, Vernon and I didn't get along, at all. He hated me,. and I took time out of my busy schedule, every week, to tell him to shove it."

Connie chuckled.

"Now, I don't know if he's changed at all over the past twenty – some – odd years," her dad continued, "but I'm betting on no. Now, I'm not saying you should fight my battle for me, either. But if he does give you any kind of a bad time, just let me know, OK?"

Connie nodded, not sure what to make of this conversation. But her dad was obviously concerned.

"OK," she agreed.

John smiled and got up from his chair. But as he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to her.

"Hey, do you know if Carl the janitor still works at the school?" he asked.

Connie shook her head. "No, he retired a few years ago," she said.

"Ah, that's too bad," her dad muttered, then glanced at her. "Now HE was a good guy!"

Connie nodded, then she thought of something.

"Hey dad," she said. "Are you ever gonna tell me what happened in the Great Saturday Detention of '84?"

Her father just smirked and walked back over to her bed to sit next to her

"Not yet," he said.

"But don't you think it's the perfect time - ?"

"Connie, listen to me," her dad interrupted. "I don't want you goin' in there tomorrow comparing everything to your mom's and my experience. You live your own life, this is your own experience."

Connie pouted.

"That's not gonna work either!" said her dad. "You and your mother, I swear…"

Connie smiled sweetly.

"C'mon," he said, getting up,"according to your mom, there's some Johnny Depp movie on TV right now."

Connie nearly ran her dad over as she zipped out of her bedroom and ran down the stairs.

* * *

_If any of you have read my profile on this site, you'd know that Johnny Depp is my favorite actor, SoI couldn't resist doin' that._

_Next Chapter : SATURDAY MORNING!_

_Review, please and thank you!_


	4. Is It Saturday Yet?

_Disclaimer : I own nothing of the Breakfast Club, except Connie (Bender offspring!) and the rest of the new generation._

_Author's Note : Well, fellow Breakfast junkies, Saturday is upon us! Now, as fair warning, this chapter is a bit shorter than chapter 2 and 3, HOWEVER! (Oh yes, there is a "however"!) There will be another new character introduced near the end of the chapter, so tell me what you think!_

Chapter 4 : Is it Saturday yet?

_Is it Saturday yet?_

_Cuz I don't wanna get up_

_Is it Saturday yet?_

_Cuz it feels like a Saturday_

_Baby, is it Saturday?_

"GOOOOD MORNING, CONNIE BENDER!"

Connie groaned and quickly put a pillow over her head, to block out the noise that was her father, and the horror that was morning.

"John!" she heard her mother's voice.

"What?" she heard her father ask.

"Couldn't you be a little more subtle?" her mother asked.

"I could if I tried, but this is more fun," said her father.

From under the pillow, Connie heard a smacking sound and a muffled,"OW!"

Suddenly, the precious pillow she had been using for protection was being lifted off her head.

"Noooo!" Connie whined.

"Connie…" said her mother as she stood over her, holding the pillow.

Connie turned over and gave her mother a pleading look.

"Don't say it…" Connie begged.

"Happy Saturday!" said her mother. "Your dad's waiting downstairs with breakfast. You've got half an hour before we leave to take you to school."

"But I don't wanna go to school on a Saturday!" Connie told her.

"Well, you should've thought about that before you beat somebody up!" said her mother as she gave Connie back her pillow, then walked out of the room.

"But it was an ATHLETE!" Connie called after her.

* * *

John Bender pulled up in front of Shermer High School and put the green SUV in "Park". 

Connie sighed and looked out the window at the high school.

"This would be the part where you get OUT of the car," said her father.

"Just…gimme a minute," she replied.

"You have everything?" her mother asked. "Cell phone?"

"Yep."

"Lunch?"

_Unfortunately, yes._

"Yeah."

"OK then, you really do have to get outta the car now," her dad told her.

Connie sighed and opened her door to get out. She then walked up to the passenger side window and looked in at her parents.

"If I die – "

"You WON'T!" her parents told her.

"But if I DO!" she said. "Treat my room like Anne Frank's."

"Anne who?" asked her father.

Connie's mother rolled her eyes. "She wants us to turn her room into a museum," she told her husband.

Connie nodded. "Meaning, also, that nobody touches ANYTHING."

Connie's mother nodded and rolled her eyes while her dad saluted her.

Connie smirked and started to walk up the steps to the school.

"You think she'll be OK?" Claire asked as she watched her daughter enter the school.

"I know she'll be fine," John replied.

* * *

As Connie walked down the school hallway, she suddenly felt the need to check her outfit. 

She had decided to wear her favorite blue jeans today. She considered them lucky, and today she would need all the help she could get. She had also decided on a brown, spaghetti – string tank top with a thin, stretchy, button – up sweater over top, that was also brown.

Connie smoothed down her hair (which was slightly difficult because she had it in a half – ponytail) and took a deep breath.

She willed her feet to go, but they wouldn't move. So she took one more deep breath…and heard a voice behind her.

"Hey!"

Connie half – turned to see a boy coming toward her. He looked her age, if not a little older and he had blonde hair, with bangs that stopped just over his eyebrows.

She observed his outfit quickly and subtly. He was wearing faded blue jeans, a pea green t – shirt (that set off his GORGEOUS green eyes) and a leather jacket over top.

He wasn't a boy, she immediately noticed.

He was a HOT boy!

"You're here for Saturday detention, I presume?" he asked her as he came up beside her.

"Uh, yeah," she said.

"Well, then, c'mon!" he said. "Don't wanna be late, do we?"

Connie smiled and continued to walk to the library, but this time she had company.

* * *

The two teenagers reached the library, but the boy whirled around and blocked Connie's way before she could open the door. 

"I'm Nick, by the way," he said.

"Connie," she replied.

"Charmed, Connie," he said.

" 'Pleasure, Nick," she replied.

Nick glanced behind him at the library, then looked back at Connie.

"You've never been to Saturday DT before, have you?" he asked.

"Nope," she answered.

"OK, so…you ready?"

"Hell, no," she replied.

"Alright then," he said, and smirked. "Let's go."

With that, Connie's new friend Nick turned around and opened the door to the library.

* * *

_So, what did you think? Ya like the new gut so far? You have any comments, concerns, tips?_

_Then PLEASE, push the freakin' button!_

_Oh, and the title of the chapter, as well as the little song stanza at the beginning, is from the song "Is it Saturday Yet?" by Nick Carter._

_Now that we've actually entered the detention part of our program, I'll probably use a lot more songs throughout the story._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	5. Begin The Begin

_Disclaimer :I own nada zip, nil….except Connie and the new group of delinquents. They're all mine. MINE, I TELL YOU!_

_Author's Notes : Once again, sorry about that last chapter. Nobody's more disappointed in it than me. And thanks for all the great reviews! I'm glad you all like it so far! And remember, if you have any suggestions, just let me know…_

_Now, ON WITH THE SHOW!_

Chapter 5 : Begin the Begin

_We don't need no education  
We don't need no thought control  
No dark sarcasm in the classroom  
Teachers leave them kids alone  
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!  
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.  
All in all you're just another brick in the wall_

Connie walked into the room behind Nick, and right away, she noticed there was already one other person there.

Nick noticed, too.

"KYLE, BUDDY!" he exclaimed, causing the person in question to glance up from the book he was reading, and groan.

The boy named Kyle ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes at Nick.

"Ah, damn. I was hoping you wouldn't show up," he grumbled.

Connie raised her eyebrows at Kyle's comment.

_OK_…she glanced over at Nick.

_Friend, or foe?_

"Of COURSE I was gonna show up! Why wouldn't I show up?" Nick asked, as he sat on top of Kyle's desk.

"Cuz you don't show up for any other classes?" Kyle replied.

"I show up for Gym."

"You don't participate."

"Yes, I do!"

"Heckling from the sidelines doesn't count," Kyle told him. "Besides, it's your fault I'm in here, so I automatically hate you."

"Fine," said Nick. "On the way home, we can stop somewhere and I'll buy you a cookie to cheer you up."

Kyle just rolled his eyes.

"So, you two are in here for the same thing?" Connie asked.

The two boys glanced at her, Kyle finally acknowledging her presence.

"No," he said. "I'm only here because Nick can never go down alone, so he's gotta take ME down with him."

"That's what friends are for, though, right?" said Nick.

"Oh yeah," Kyle replied. "You're a real pal."

Connie, trying not to laugh, pointed at the last desk in the next row. "I'm sensing some hostility in this area, so I'll be over here," she said, and walked over to the desk.

"Oh, hang on a sec!" Nick called after her, causing her to stop and turn around. Nick glanced at Kyle and smirked.

"Kyle, this is Connie," he told him. "My NEW best friend!"

Connie smiled and Kyle rolled his eyes.

"And you've known her for…how long?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, well, it's been, what?" Nick looked over at Connie,"…five, six minutes?"

Connie nodded and sat down.

"At least," she said.

"Well, then," Kyle said, turning in his seat to look over at Connie. "Nice to meet you, Connie."

"Back at ya," she replied.

Kyle smiled at her, then quickly glanced at Nick.

"And for what it's worth," he continued,"I'm sorry."

Connie frowned. "For what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, yet," said Kyle, glancing at Nick again. "But just so you know for later."

Nick actually stuck his tongue out at his best friend before hopping off his desk and walking over to Connie.

He sat down next to her and put his feet up on the desk.

"Kyle's not a morning person," he whispered.

"Is that what he was apologizing for?" Connie asked.

The ghost of a smirk appeared on Nick's face and he shook his head.

"No," he mumbled.

Connie frowned, then she felt a small chill go down her spine and shuddered.

"Do you feel that?" she asked.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Feel what?"

"I just, felt a kind of…chill," she said. "You really don't feel that?"

Nick frowned, then a look of realization appeared on his face.

"Oh…that," he said, nodding. "Yeah, I've gotten used to that."

"Well, what is it?" Connie asked.

"That would be the warning signal," Nick answered.

"A warning for what?"

"Vernon," he said, looking over at the open doorway.

Connie immediately followed his gaze, but the doorway was empty.

"How come I've never felt that before?" she asked, her eyes glued to the doorway.

"Cuz you've only seen him on school days," said Nick. "Monday to Friday, eight AM to three – thirty, with the whole school packed with people. But on Saturdays…one room and a small group of people, seven AM to four? Whole different ball game."

Connie nodded, solemnly.

And suddenly, there he was. His eyes glaring, his mouth set in a scowl, wearing another one of his ugly suits.

The enemy.

Darth Vader, Joseph Stahlin, Adolf Hitler and that evil chick from "Mean Girls", all rolled into one big, mean, old guy.

Richard Vernon.

He walked into the room and stopped about two inches from the six desks.

"Good morning, delinquents," he said.

* * *

_Eee, sends chills down your own spine, doesn't he? Anyway, so there's chapter 5!_

_The song stanza at the beginning, if you didn't recognize it, was from the Pink Floyd song, "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2". And if any of you recognized the chapter title, yes, I got it from a Grey's Anatomy episode._

_I also edited and replaced chapter 4, so if you want to check it out again, it looks prettier._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	6. The Gang's All Here

_Disclaimer : Hughes owns Vernon and the rest of the original Breakfast Club (which is really too bad, cuz if I owned Molly Ringwald, I'd be worth MILLIONS!) HOWEVER, I own Connie, Nick, Kyle, and the rest of the delinquents that you will meet in this chapter. SO THERE! That's me stickin' it to the man!_

_Author's Notes : I know it's been an extremely long time since I updated anything at all, and I am very sorry! But, it's here now, so just follow the three R's you learned here at what are they children?_

REJOICE, READ, AND REVIEEEEEW!

Chapter 6 : The Gang's All Here

RECAP!

_And suddenly, there he was. His eyes glaring, mouth set in a scowl, wearing another one of his ugly suits._

_The enemy._

_Richard Vernon._

_He walked into the room and stopped about two inches from the six desks._

_"Good morning, delinquents," he said._

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Vernon!" the three "delinquents" chorused, cheerfully.

"Shut up, ya little terds!" barked Mr. Vernon. "I'm just as miserable being here as you are, so lay off all the sarcastic crap!"

"Yeah, see, Vernon isn't a morning person, either," Nick whispered to Connie. "Hey, sir! Have you met Kyle?" Nick asked, gesturing to his friend.

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Vernon yelled, pointing at Nick.

"Well, sir, you didn't actually say_when_ he was supposed to shut up," Connie pointed out.

"ALL of you shut up! NOW!" roared Mr. Vernon, then he glanced at the attendance sheet he was holding.

"Wait a minute…" he muttered, glancing back up at them. "There's only three of you here, there's supposed to be FIVE students in attendance today. Where are the other two?"

"Well sir, ya caught me," said Nick. "I killed them and buried them under the floor. Delinquency has finally pushed me over the edge, sir!"

"I told you to SHUT IT, asshole!" Vernon yelled.

Just then, they all heard voices coming from the hallway.

And whoever they were, they didn't sound happy with each other.

"I told you to drive faster, you idiot!" said a girl's voice.

"I've already got detention, Daf! I wasn't about to get a speeding ticket in the same day!" replied a male voice.

"Well, now we're LATE for detention!" said the girl. "God, you're such an IDIOT!"

"Hey! We wouldn't be here at ALL if it wasn't for you, you little – "

By then, Mr. Vernon was at the library doorway looking out into the hallway.

"HEY!" he hollered, interrupting the quarrel. "You two shut the hell up and get in here! You're late!"

He stepped aside and let them enter the room.

The girl looked to be a few inches shorter than Connie, with shoulder – length brown hair and hazel eyes that would have been considered pretty, had it not have been for the permanent, icey glare she was giving everyone.

She tugged on the pink "I love Seth Cohen" t – shirt she was wearing and put her hot pink Von Dutch purse down on the desk in front of Kyle's.

"Sorry, Mr. Vernon," she said, glaring at the guy she came in with. "It wasn't MY fault."

Connie barely heard the other girl's remark, because her gaze was fixed on the teenage boy that she had come in with.

The boy with the brown hair, wearing the blue letterman jacket. The boy who any girl would consider as extremely gorgeous….even with the purple bruise around his left eye.

"Like hell it wasn't!" he snapped at the girl, then he glanced around at the others.

That's when he noticed Connie.

"Oh, sh – "

"Shut your trap and sit down!" barked Mr. Vernon, giving him a small push toward the desk across from the other girl's.

The boy sat down and glanced over his shoulder at Connie.

She gave him a little wave. He glared at her, then turned back around.

"Friend of yours?" Nick asked Connie, in a low voice.

"Hell, no," Connie answered, a smile playing on her lips.

"Alright, now, everybody shut up so I can take attendance," said Vernon.

"Uh, is that really necessary, sir?" asked Kyle.. "Since you already knew that there was supposed to be five students here, and there ARE five students here, now?"

"How many times do I have to tell you stupid kids to shut up!" Vernon cried.

"At least once more, Miss Swann, as always," Nick replied.

"Nice touch!" Connie whispered. (**A/N** _Connie loves Johnny Depp movies, remember_?)

"Thank you!" Nick whispered back.

"OK, everybody, SHUT UP!" roared Mr. Vernon, then he glanced down at his attendance sheet.

"Now," he said, clearing his throat. "Kyle Andrews."

"Here!"

"Fine," Mr. Vernon checked off Kyle's name and went to the next name. Suddenly, he looked over at Connie and smirked, menacingly.

"Connie Bender," he hissed.

Nick raised an eyebrow and also looked at Connie.

"That would be me," Connie replied, meeting Vernon's gaze.

The guy in the letterman jacket glared at her again.

Vernon returned his gaze to the paper he was holding.

"Sean Dawson," he called out.

"Here," replied the guy with the black eye and letterman jacket.

Mr. Vernon checked off Sean's name, then he glared in Nick's direction.

"Nick Harrison," he growled.

"That would be me!" Nick replied, with a smile.

Connie smirked.

Mr. Vernon scowled and looked down at the last name on his list.

"Daf – "

"Here!" the other girl interrupted, raising her hand.

Connie gave her a questioning look, but the girl didn't notice.

Vernon scowled at the girl.

"Sorry," she apologized. "But I – I'm here."

Mr. Vernon nodded, grimly, and checked off her name.

"Now, for those of you who AREN'T regulars," Vernon began, glancing over at Nick, "I'm going to tell you how your day is going to go."

He looked around at the five teenagers, but none of them spoke, so he continued.

"Throughout the day, you will be helping out the school's janitor by cleaning up around the school."

Daf visibly cringed.

"That means classrooms, bathrooms, and anywhere else you're asked to go. You will be taken in pairs, groups of three, or sometimes it'll just be one of you, if the chore is a small one. You will not necessarily be supervised, but you will be given an hour to do your assigned job, and at the end of that hour, either I, or the janitor will come to check on you."

"And remember," he walked over to Connie and Nick's desk and looked right at Nick. "Clean up means clean up, NOT further vandalism."

Nick smiled and gave the principal a small salute.

Mr. Vernon huffed and started walking back up the aisle.

"You will not all be working at the same time. Those of you who aren't working will be in this room, in these desks, not talking and NOT moving."

Nick raised his hand.

"What?" Vernon snapped.

"What if we need to sneeze, sir?" Nick asked. "Will we get penalized for that?"

"I told you to lay off the sarcasm, Harrison, and I meant it!" snapped Vernon. "Now, I will be in my office, the janitor will come to the library in at least an hour to assign the first job to one of you lucky SOB's. You will not whine or complain if he picks you," Mr. Vernon glanced at Daf while saying this. "You will go willingly. But as for the rest of you, who will be staying in here, remember what I said. Cuz if I hear one peep comin' from this room, I'm comin' in here, and I'm crackin' skulls!"

With that, he walked out of the library and slammed the door behind him.

"Why the hell hasn't he been fired yet?" Daf asked.

"I'm workin' on it, don't worry!" Nick told her. "It's just taking longer than I thought it would!"

He then turned to Connie and stared at her.

"What?" Connie asked.

"You didn't tell me your last name was Bender," he said.

"You didn't ask," she replied. "Besides, what does it matter?"

Nick chuckled.

"You have no idea who your dad is, do you?" he asked.

Connie raised an eyebrow.

"He's John Bender," she said. "He co – owns an auto garage downtown. He and my mom have been married for eighteen years. So?"

Nick shook his head and got up from his chair. He then walked up the stairs to the second level of the library and disappeared into the small maze of book shelves.

"Where's he going? What the hell is he doing?" Daf asked.

"Shut it! If Vernon hears you, we're all dead!" Kyle hissed. "And we just got here!"

"Hey! You can't talk to her like that!" Nick told him.

"Why not? You did!" Kyle shot back.

"Now, now, play nice, boys!" said Nick, as he came down the stairs, carrying a thin yellow book.

"What is that?" Connie asked him, as he sat back down next to her.

Nick smiled and showed her the cover.

Shermer High School, 1986.

It was the yearbook from the same year her parents graduated.

"Sorry, let me rephrase my last question," said Nick. "You have no idea who your dad WAS, do you?"

* * *

_Well, there's chapter 6! I hope it was worth the wait. the really, really long wait..._

_Pleasem just, don't throw fruit at me._

_And push the magical blue button! it'll take you to enchanted, magical places!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	7. So, What Are You In For?

_Disclaimer : The great and powerful John Hughes owns the breakfast Club, including the original Princess, Claire, the original Criminal, the almighty John bender, and the man that just makes you want to stick it to the man, Richard Vernon._

_I, however, own Connie, Nick, Sean, Kyle and Daf._

_SO HA!_

_Author's Note : hello again, my lovely and loyal reviewers. Thank you so much for all your reviews (not one flame so far! Yaaay!) and also for your patience. If any of you have any suggestions for my story, like stuff you'd want to see happen, just put it in your review and I'll look it over and possibly put it in, I make no guarantees, though. But if it's something positively brilliant, hilarious, or mischevious, it's definitely goin' in. For example, couplings? Anyway…._

HEEEEEEEERE'S CHAPTER 7!

Chapter Seven : So, What Are You In For?

RECAP!

_"What is that?" Connie asked him, as he sat back down next to her._

_Nick smiled and showed her the cover._

_Shermer High School, 1986._

_It was the yearbook from the same year her parents graduated._

_"Sorry, let me rephrase my last question," said Nick. "You have no idea who your dad WAS, do you?"_

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about?" Connie asked.

Nick smiled, he looked positively gleeful.

"Oh man, this is great!" he exclaimed, as he flipped through the yearbook. "You tellin' me your dad never told you about any of the stuff he did in high school?"

"Not much, why? Did he tell_you_ about any of the stuff he did in high school?" Connie asked, slightly sarcastic.

"Nick, you know her dad?" Kyle asked.

Nick shook his head.

"Hell, no," Nick replied. "I wish I did though. Cuz from the stuff I heard about your old man from my old man? I figure, John Bender was the William Wallace of Shermer High School, and nobody even realized it."

"Who the hell cares?" Sean asked, from his seat at the front.

Nick glanced at him.

"Was I talkin' to you, Sporty Spice?" he asked. "No, I wasn't, y'know why? Cuz you're obviously.." he then pointed to his eye,"…not that lucky."

Sean glared at him, then he glanced at Connie, who was wearing a slightly amused look on her face, and glared at her, too.

Connie returned her attention to Nick and the yearbook.

"So, is there more to your little story, or are you just gonna leave me hanging?" she asked.

Nick smirked, yet again, and handed her the yearbook, which was open to the pages that showed the school photos of the seniors from that year.

Right away, she spotted her father's picture.

John Bender, in all his glory, was sneering at the camera and flipping it the bird…with both hands.

Connie smiled.

"Yup, that's daddy alright," she said.

Daf, who had subtly gravitated to the desk in front of Connie and Nick, finally spoke.

"Hey, who the hell is William Wallace anyway?" she asked.

Kyle, who had moved to the desk across from Nick and Connie, rolled his eyes.

"He was a Scottish hero from the 13th century," Connie muttered, as she continued to look through the yearbook.

Daf still looked puzzled.

" Braveheart, sweetie, ever seen it?" Kyle asked.

Daf turned and glared at him.

"Don't ever call me 'sweetie'," she told him, almost as a demand.

"How 'bout I just don't ever call you, period?" Kyle suggested.

"Fine by me!" Daf snapped.

As the two of them kept arguing, Connie and Nick looked from Daf to Kyle, and from Kyle to Daf.

"Are you gettin' any of this?" Nick asked Connie, in a low voice.

Connie nodded. "In Hi – Definition," she replied.

From the front of the room, Sean let out a frustrated groan.

"Why don't you all just shut up!" he yelled.

"YOU FIRST!" the other four shouted back at him.

"Me!" he asked. "I've barely said anything since I got in here!"

"Oh, please," Daf rolled her eyes. "Besides, your big mouth is the reason we're both in here, anyway!"

"His big mouth is the reason I'M in here!" Connie muttered.

Nick turned to her, looking intrigued.

"I'm sensing a good story here," he said. "Am I wrong?"

Connie shrugged.

"She attacked me," Sean told him. "She's a friggin' loose cannon!"

"Oh, don't even act like you didn't deserve it, asshole!" Connie snapped.

"Wait, wait, waaaait a minute here," Nick interrupted, then he glanced at Sean. "Are you telling me, that you got beat up by a _girl_?"

"You got a problem with that? Cuz if ya do, I'll prove myself to you right now –" said Connie, starting to get up.

"Oh, no no no no no," said Nick, "please sit down. Cuz I assure you, I mean no offense on your part."

"Bender suck – up," Kyle muttered.

"Shh!" Nick told him, then continued.

"I'm just amazed," he told Sean, "that a big, strapping young man, such as yourself, let yourself get beat up by a _girl_!"

" – In the school hallway," Connie added.

"In the school HALLWAY!" Nick repeated.

"You're a disgrace to the muscle-head population," Kyle told Sean.

"Hey, shut up!" Sean told him. "It's not like I didn't try to fight the bitch off me! But it's kinda hard to do, when almost any way you do it could be considered molestation!"

"Ohh…" Nick and Kyle both murmered and nodded in understanding.

"Hey! Don't take his side!" Connie argued. "That jerk deserved what he got!"

"Well, what did he do?" Nick asked.

"He was directing unnecessary comments to a friend of mine," Connie replied. "He was calling her names."

"Well, what did he call her?" Nick asked.

Connie opened her mouth, then closed it and glanced around at the other three.

She then leaned toward nick and whispered in his ear.

As Nick listened, his eyes went wide, and when Connie pulled away, he looked over at Sean.

"Well, THAT'S not gentleman – like!" he commented.

"Why? What did he say?" Kyle asked.

Nick beckoned him over, so Kyle walked over to the desk and leaned over so Nick could whisper in his ear.

As Kyle listened, his own eyes widened.

When he straightened up, Kyle glared over at Sean.

"You _bastard_!" he said.

"It's not my fault the girl can't stand a few jokes!" said Sean.

"Dude, that's not joking, that's just mean!" Nick told him. "I mean, REALLY mean!"

"That's not even mean!" Kyle disagreed," that's, well, I mean that's – geez man, where the HELL did you grow up?"

"Oh, please!" scoffed Sean. "You tellin' me you've never talked shit to somebody like that before?" he asked Nick.

"Well, hell yeah, but only people who deserved it!" Nick told him. "What the hell did this girl do to you!"

Sean just rolled his eyes and turned back around in his seat.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Nick.

"So, what did you two do to get in here?" Connie asked Nick and Kyle.

Nick considered this.

"For this week, or next week?" he asked.

Connie raised an eyebrow.

"You got two detentions in one week?" Daf asked Kyle.

"No…HE did, I only got one," Kyle answered. "Nick got two detentions in one day."

"One day?" Connie asked, turning to Nick.

Nick shrugged.

"It's not my record, but it's satisfactory," he said.

"Satisfactory?" Connie and Daf both asked.

"You mean, you like getting detentions?" Daf asked.

Again, Nick shrugged.

"I've got nothin' else to do on Saturdays," he explained.

"So you'd rather spend the whole day here than at the movies, or at the mall, or even just at home?" Daf asked.

For the third time in a row, Nick shrugged.

"My home life is unsatisfying," he said. "Just leave it at that, OK?"

Daf was about to say something else, But Kyle cleared his throat, and when she looked at him he shook his head.

"OK," Daf agreed.

"Hey," Nick said, glancing at Connie, "how much more time do we have before we're put on active duty?"

Connie shrugged. "Uh, I'm not wearing a watch," she said.

"Just over half an hour," said Sean.

They all glanced over at him.

"What?" he asked. "You wanted to know, and she didn't know," he gestured to Connie," so I told ya, OK? Now shut up!"

Nick smiled, Connie smirked, and Daf rolled her eyes.

"So," Connie mumbled, glancing at Nick, "what are we supposed to do for the next half hour?"

Nick looked back at her…and smiled.

"Yeah, we're not doing that," Connie told him.

Nick pouted.

"I haven't even known you for two hours!" Connie told him, "I mean, are you serious?"

Nick shrugged and smiled. "You got any better ideas?"

Connie rolled her eyes and though for a moment.

"My dad," she said.

"What?" he asked.

Connie smiled.

"The stories you dad told you about my dad," she said," I wanna hear them, too."

Nick thought about this for a moment.

"OK," he said," I can tell you some of those. Where shall we start…ninth grade, I guess?"

Connie's eyes widened.

"It started in ninth grade?" she asked.

"Well, no," said Nick. "Apparently, it started much earlier, but my dad only just met your dad in ninth grade, so he's only got about four years worth of stories."

Connie chuckled. "OK," she said,"continue."

* * *

_REVIEEEEEEW!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	8. The Trouble With Boys And Girls

_Disclaimer : I own absolutely positively nothing!...except a whole whack of CDs…. and a lot of pictures of Jesse McCartney. (Which, I should probably mention now, is kind of who you should picture when you picture Nick. :P)_

Chapter Eight : The Trouble With Boys And Girls

RECAP!

_"My dad," she said._

_"What?" he asked._

_Connie smiled._

_"The stories your dad told you about my dad," she said," I wanna hear them, too."_

_Nick thought about this for a moment._

_"OK," he said," I can tell you some of those. Where should we start, ninth grade, I guess?"_

_Connie's eyes widened._

_"It started in ninth grade?" she asked._

_"Well, no," said Nick. " Apparently, it started much earlier, but my dad only just met your dad in ninth grade, so he's only got about four years worth of stories."_

_Connie chuckled. "OK," she said, "continue."_

* * *

_No attorneys_

_To plead my case_

_No orbits_

_To send me into outer space_

_And my fingers_

_Are bejeweled_

_With diamonds and gold_

_But that ain't gonna help me now_

_I'm trouble_

"Well," Nick began, "in ninth grade, John Bender snored the loudest in class."

"Which class?" Kyle asked.

"EVERY class, apparently," Nick replied, then he continued. "He would also ride his skateboard down the hallways and mark the walls, the lockers, and the Boys' bathrooms with red spray paint. When Vernon caught him, your dad would just say that he was simply marking his territory, to separate it from Vernon's territory."

"In tenth grade," Nick continued, "he pulled a record of three, sometimes four fire alarms every week, and once, when he went to detention and had to write an essay, he just wrote 'Dick' a thousand times, and at the bottom of the page he wrote 'Dick Vernon' then put the initials 'D.V' right under that, and swapped them around."

"Swapped them around?" Connie asked.

"But when you swap 'D.V' around," Kyle muttered, "you get – "

" 'V.D'!" Daf exclaimed.

They all thought about this for a moment, then burst out laughing. **A/N :** _For those of you who don't know, VD is a Sexually Transmitted Disease)_

"Which would explain why, the week after, the words 'D.V has VD' were spray painted all over the walls in the hallways," Nick explained.

"Now, in his junior year, John Bender didn't actually end up in detention as much," he continued.

"Because he hardly ever got caught?" Kyle asked.

"No, because he hardly ever did anything," Nick replied.

"But he sounds like he was at the top of his game," said Sean, "why quit so soon?"

"He didn't quit, Sporty Spice, he just didn't cause as much trouble," Nick told him.

"My mother," Connie muttered.

Nick gave her a puzzled glance.

"What?" he asked.

"My dad had detention with my mom for the first time in March of 1984," Connie answered, "just before the end of their sophomore year."

"So she brought him down just as he had reached the top…" Kyle muttered.

"Just like a woman…" Sean added.

Daf and Connie glared at the two of them.

"OK," said Daf, "which one of you idiots wants to get hit first?"

"I recommend the dumb jock," said Connie, gesturing to Sean, "he bruises quite easily."

"What a coincidence, so does Kyle!" said Nick.

"I'm sorry, weren't you in the middle of a story?" Kyle asked, obviously hinting that Nick should get back to it.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your nuts in a knot," said Nick. "Anyway, John Bender's biggest and only pranks that year mostly had to do with cars, my dad called it his Greased Lightning Year."

"Catchy," quipped Connie.

Nick smirked. "The first day of school, my dad and your dad cut their last two classes to go out to the parking lot and paint the principal's car hot pink. On the hood they wrote 'Pepto – Bismobile' in bright orange spray paint."

"Whoa, that woulda gone down in Pimp My Ride history," said Connie.

"Pink and orange?" Daf asked, appalled. "Good God, what were they thinking?"

"They were teenage boys, they weren't," Connie told her.

"Hey!" said all three boys.

"Hey, you diss my gender, I diss yours," Connie explained. "So, what else happened?"

"Well, I don't know if I wanna tell you now that you've offended me," said Nick

"Well, how 'bout I buy you a cookie after detention's over?" suggested Connie, mimicking Nick's promise to Kyle.

"How 'bout ya just agree to sleep with me and we call it even?" Nick suggested, smiling.

"How bout I just beat you to death with my bare hands?" Connie fired back, with a sarcastic smile.

"Wow, detention really brings out the evilness in girls," said Kyle.

"Actually," said Sean, glancing over at Daf, "bad hair days bring out the evilness in girls, as well as the wrong shade of red nail polish, lip gloss that dries too fast, and when another girl has the same purse, only hers is more expensive."

"Ooh," murmered Kyle, also glancing at Daf, "sounds like somebody swims at the_shallow_ end."

"I am_not_ shallow!" Daf argued.

"You're right," said Sean," you're also bitchy, bratty and conceited."

"But they don't have a Conceited End in swimming pools, so we have to go with shallow," said Nick.

"Fuck every single one of you!" Daf practically screeched, then she hopped off the desk and went back to her previous seat at the front.

"And you think I'M horrible just cuz I wanna get with you!" Nick told Connie, as he gestured to Daf, "when SHE seems to want everybody!"

"That's not what I said!" Daf yelled at him, turning in her seat, "you're twisting my words around!"

"Am I, really?" Nick asked.

But they didn't have any time to continue the argument, because the library door opened and Gus the janitor walked into the room. Gus was slightly heavy – set, with blonde hair that was slowly turning gray, and whiskers that were faring the same way.

The five teenagers just stared blankly back at him.

"OK," Gus began, "I assume you've all been briefed on what kind of hard labor I have the pleasure of putting you through today, so let's begin, shall we? The first job I have to offer is cleaning up the Boys bathrooms…all of them. So that means you," he pointed to Nick, "and you," he pointed at Sean, "get to come with me."

Nick and Sean glanced at each other, and everyone else glanced at Nick and Sean. So, both letting out pitiful sighs, the two boys got up and walked to the front of the library, where Gus stepped back and ushered them out of the room first, closing the door behind him.

* * *

_YES! I'm back!_

_I am terribly sorry for the lengthy hiatus, but I'm approaching the end of my school year, and exams are coming up, so I'm really busy right now, so ya just gotta be patient for me OK?_

_Now, review, my pretties, review!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	9. Gray Rainbows And Eclipses

_Disclaimer: Own "The Breakfast Club"? Please, if I did, I'd be stinkin' rich, and if I was stinkin' rich, I'd be out shopping right now, not staring at my computer screen._

Gray Rainbows And Eclipses

Sean and Nick followed Gus the janitor down the hall, Sean glumly trudging and Nick calmly strolling with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket.

To the right of them was the Boy's bathroom, but as they approached it, Gus just kept walking. He walked right past it and continued down the hall, the boys had no choice but to follow him. Sean was a little puzzled, but he looked over at Nick and noticed no trace of similar confusion.

"Hey," Sean whispered,"we just past the Boys bathroom!"

"Nice observation," Nick replied.

Sean glanced ahead of them at Gus, but he didn't seem to hear them, so Sean looked back at Nick.

"But aren't we supposed to be cleaning the Boys bathrooms?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yup," Nick replied.

"But then why did we just pass that one back there?" Sean asked again.

"Because we're starting on the first floor, dumbass," said Nick.

Sean glared at him, and when Nick noticed this, he shrugged.

"What? You don't believe me or somethin'?" asked Nick, but before Sean could reply, Nick turned his attention to Gus.

"Hey, Gus! If we're cleaning the bathrooms, then why did we pass that one back there?" he asked.

"Because we're starting on the first floor, dumbass," Gus answered.

Nick smirked and glanced over at Sean.

"See?" he said.

"But why do we need to start on the first floor?" Sean asked.

"Don't question it, just do it," Nick mumbled.

"What?" Sean asked, not hearing him.

"Gus…" Nick began.

"Don't question it, just do it," snapped Gus.

Sean looked over at Nick, who was smirking again.

"How many times have you BEEN here?" Sean asked.

Nick said nothing, but his smirk grew into a smile.

* * *

Back in the library, Kyle had his feet propped up on his desk and his hands clenched behind his head, just staring into space, and making no kind of movement at all. Daf was touching up her lip gloss, and Connie was sleeping on top of her desk.

"I am bored out of my mind," said Kyle.

"It hasn't even been ten minutes since the guys left," Connie told him.

"That's right, it's also Saturday, we're at school, in detention, and while I'm stating the obvious here, may I just conclude with I'M BORED OUT OF MY MIND?" said Kyle.

"So go off into a corner and masturbate or something," Daf suggested, as she examined her fingernails.

That got Kyle's attention.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Daf glanced at him.

"Well, isn't that what guys do when they're bored and have nothing to do?" Daf asked, nonchalantly.

"No, sweets, just your boyfriend," Kyle told her.

"You two can never just have a civil conversation, can you?" Connie asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Where's the fun in that?" Kyle asked.

"Well, at least my boyfriend's had sex, unlike you, I'm assuming," said Daf.

"One, he's your ex boyfriend," Kyle told her, "and two, the sex must not've been that good, otherwise he wouldn't be masturbating, would he?"

"What makes you think it's 'ex boyfriend'?" Daf asked.

"Well, it's Sean, right?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, I hate to tell ya, but you two aren't making the Cutest Couple list for today," said Kyle. "you two came in yelling at each other, you've been glaring at each other since you got in here, face it, you're done."

"Couples fight all the time, we're in a rut, that's all!" Daf insisted.

Kyle snorted, and glanced back at Connie.

"All hail, Cleopatra," he gestured to Daf, "queen of Denial."

"It's already all over school, y'know," Connie told her. "Daf Pearson and Sean Dawson – Splitsville."

"Well then the whole fuckin' school better get their facts straight!" Daf snapped, "because we are STILL TOGETHER!"

With that, she got up from her desk and stormed to the back of the library.

* * *

"So," Sean began, while trying to scrub a girl's phone number off the bathroom wall, "was it just my imagination, or was your friend Kyle kinda eyeing Daf earlier?"

"OK, first of all, stop scrubbing for a minute, if I can't read these phone numbers, they're no good to me," said Nick as he wrote the girl's phone number on his hand, "second of all, Kyle wasn't eyeing her, he was glaring at her. Thirdly, why do you care? She's your EX girlfriend."

"How do you know we broke up?" Sean asked, getting defensive.

"Well, y'know how cute couples are all sunshine – and – rainbows ? Ever since you two walked into this school this morning, it's been PAINFULLY obvious that your rainbows are all gray, and your sunshine is being blocked out by an eclipse," Nick told him.

"Eclipses don't last long," Sean reminded him.

"Yours will," said Nick.

"And what makes you think so, shit-head?" Sean asked, getting even more defensive and taking a step toward Nick. "What, you a psychic or something?"

"No," said Nick, "it's just obvious that you WANT this little eclipse of yours to last. And from my observations, what the Jock Heads and the Pom Pom Queens want, they usually get."

"Oh, is that what you think?" Sean asked," that my life is just that damn easy?"

Nick shrugged. "Any time you're willing to prove me wrong, let me know."

Nick went back to wiping down a mirror above the sink while Sean seemed to ponder this offer for a moment, then went back to scrubbing the permanent marker off the walls.

Suddenly, Nick stopped wiping the mirror.

"Whoa," he murmered, "I almost forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Sean asked as Nick pulled out a roll of duct tape from his jacket pocket. "No," he said, "never mind, I don't wanna know."

"That's fine by me, the less questions you ask, the less I have to hear you talk," Nick told him as he pulled off a fair – sized piece of tape from the roll and walked over to one of the urinals.

Sean watched, silently and curiously, as Nick put the tape over the drain of the urinal, sealing it. He then took a black marker out of his pocket, leaving Sean to wonder about just how many things he had hidden in that jacket, and he wrote something on the tape.

Nick stood up, satisfied, and turned back to Sean.

"OK," said Nick, "let's get back to work."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second," Sean stopped him, "what did you just do?"

"You saw what I did," said Nick.

"Yes, but I don't understand why you did it," said Sean.

"I never said ya had to," said Nick.

Sean gave him a puzzled look and walked over to the urinal. He looked down at the drain and read what Nick had written on the tape.

"Ah geez," he said, glancing back up at Nick. " 'D.V. has VD'?"

Nick shrugged. "I'm starting to make it my calling card."

"But hasn't it already been done by Connie's dad?" Sean asked.

"Only once," said Nick, then he smiled, "and not on a urinal."

He then brushed past Sean and headed towards the bathroom door. Sean followed him, rolling his eyes.

When the two boys came out of the bathroom, Gus was there, waiting for them.

"What do y'know?" he said, checking his watch. "Sean Dawson and Nick Harrison…on time, for once."

"Sorry to disappoint ya, Gus - Gus," said Nick.

"Gus - Gus…" muttered Sean, "so there's so much of you, they had to name you twice?"

Nick stifled a laugh and Gus glared at the two boys.

"Watch it, kid," snarled Gus, "I can issue detentions, too, y'know."

Sean just shrugged.

"So…" Gus continued,"everything go OK in there? You cleaned up everything, right?"

Nick and Sean glanced at each other.

"Gus - Gus, I promise you," said Nick, "you will now be able to take a piss without having to worry about any sort of bacteria latching onto Mr. Winkie ."

"Ah, geez…!" Sean muttered.

"Harrison, you're this close to comin' back here next Saturday," Gus told him.

"Gus, I'm already comin' back here next Saturday," Nick replied.

This seemed to surprise Gus for a moment, but he recovered quickly.

"Well, fine, I guess that saves me any paperwork," he said, then he glanced at Sean.

"So, was the punk tellin' the truth?" the janitor asked.

"Punk…" Nick mumbled, "that's one hell of a promotion from 'Stupid Waste of Oxygen'."

The other two ignored him.

"Telling the truth about what?" Sean asked. "Coming here next Saturday?"

"No, that everything's…clean in there," said Gus. "Y'know, I expect everything to be spick, span, and gleaming in that bathroom. And having your word saves me inspection time."

Sean cast a casual – looking glance over at Nick, Nick just shrugged, so Sean turned back to Gus.

"He was telling the truth, in his own…unique way," said Sean. "We got it all covered."

Gus nodded, and started walking down the hall.

"…Including urinal drains," muttered Nick.

Sean elbowed him in the ribs and they followed Gus.

"I had almost forgotten that you're only supposed to be gone an hour," said Gus, "so you'll only be doin' one more bathroom, then I'll take ya back to the library."

"You're the boss, big guy,' said Nick.

* * *

Back in the library, Connie noticed Kyle flipping through the old Shermer yearbook that Nick had brought out.

"Find anything interesting?" Connie asked, walking over to Kyle's desk.

"Yeah," Kyle answered, "my mom."

Connie leaned in and looked over Kyle's shoulder at the picture. Daf, also curious, came over and looked over Kyle's other shoulder.

What they were looking at was a small black and white photograph of a girl who looked neither happy nor sad, her dark hair wasn't styled like any of the other girls in her class, and her long bangs created a shadow over her eyes.

Little did any of them know that they were staring into the eyes of a true basket case.

* * *

_DUN DUN DUN!_

_I know how much you all LOVE cliffhangers, so i thought I'd give you one, seeing as it's been a while since i last updated. But hopefully, it won't take as long for the next chapter, seing as how it's summer and I now have more time on my hands. AndI know it's not the most exciting chapter, or the big long chapter you were all hhoping for, but my brain is kinda drained right now, so i just gave you what i could._

_ Thanks so much for your patience and all your great reviews!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	10. The Play Date That Never Was

Disclaimer: No, I don't own The Breakfast Club…and I cry about it every day.

I DO however, own Connie Bender, Nick Harrison, Kyle Andrews, Sean Dawson and Daf Pearson….So HA!

Chapter 10 : The Play Date That Never Was

"THAT'S your mom?" chorused both Connie and Daf.

Connie checked the name under the photo.

_Allison Reynolds_.

Kyle cocked an eyebrow. "Well, it looks like her, and that's her name, so YEAH, I'm pretty sure that's her!"

Dag glared at him. "Don't have a cow, idiot!"

Kyle gave her a puzzled look. "Don't have a Cow Idiot? What the hell is a Cow Idiot, a mentally- challenged cow?"

"Oh, Lord…" muttered Connie.

"Why are you such a moron?" Daf asked, scowling.

"Hey, I have every right to ask questions!" Kyle told her. "Just because you say something stupid that I don't understand, which is understandable, does NOT give you the right to make fun of me!" He pouted and glanced over at Connie. "Some people are just so cruel!"

"You stupid – "

"…And how can I HAVE a Cow Idiot, anyway? Cuz I'm pretty sure that guys aren't able to do that."

"Kyle – "

" – Unless Mr. Jardine, the Health teacher, was lying to me …"

"KYLE!"

Kyle looks over at Connie. "Yessum?"

Ignoring Daf's obvious sigh of annoyance, Connie continued.

"Is your dad in here, too?" she asked.

* * *

Sean grimaced as he peeled the piece of tape off another urinal drain, using paper towel, for sanitary reasons. 

"I can't believe guys still try to take a piss when it's obvious that the urinal's been plugged," he said, then glared at Nick, " I also can't believe you aren't the one who's cleaning this up, seeing as how you're the evil mastermind behind this…unsanitary disaster."

Nick, who had been scrubbing the phone numbers off the wall (slowly, of course, he needed time to copy them down after all), glanced over at Sean and rolled his eyes. "OK, one? Guys don't try taking the tape off because most of them know that it's my handy work, and you don't DARE mess with the creativity of an evil mastermind…thanks for that compliment by the way, that scores me another promotion. Two? Everybody just wants to see Vernon's reaction when he sees it, and if somebody tries to peel it off before he sees it, there's absolutely no fun in that."

"But how do you know that Vernon would figure out that he's D.V?" Sean asked.

"I don't," Nick replied, smiling, "but confusing him is part of the fun."

Sean also smiled at the thought. "Yeah," he agreed, "he'll probably be scratching his head for a long time, trying to figure it out."

"Well, that should give his ass a nice long break then, don'tcha think?" said Nick.

Sean chuckled, then he glanced over at the wall. "Hey, we don't have much time left, you need some help cleanin' the rest of that off?"

"Nah, I'm OK," Nick replied. "I think I'm gonna leave some of these up, anyway, in case not all of your horny bastard friends have seen these."

"My horny bastard friends were probably the ones who wrote most of these," said Sean, then he walked up to the wall and his eyes scanned over all the names and phone numbers.

"Hey," he said, frowning, "somebody put Daf's number up here!"

"Yeah…" Nick muttered, "they got Connie up here, too."

Nick snatched the wet rag out of Nick's hand and started scrubbing Daf's name and number off the wall, while Nick wondered just what Connie Bender could've done to get her name on the wall.

* * *

" That's him, right there," Kyle pointed to the black and white photo of his father, which was actually on the same page as his mother's picture. 

Connie gently took the yearbook out of Kyle's hands, gazing at the picture he had pointed to. "Wow, " she said, "you look a lot like your dad."

It was true. Though Kyle's face was a bit thinner, and his hair was actually a bit lighter, he was practically the spitting image of his father.

Daf went over to Connie for a better look at the picture, then she gave Kyle a puzzled look.

"Hey," she said, "this guy's name is Andrew Clark."

If the other two would have been looking at Connie at that moment, they'd notice her head shoot up and her eyes going wide, as if she realized something for the first time.

"Andrew Clark…" she murmered.

Not hearing Connie, Kyle addressed Daf's comment.

"Yeah," he said, "that's his name."

"But your last name is Andrews, not Clark – "

" - His dad died when he was five," Connie interrupted.

Kyle gave her a puzzled look.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

Connie smiled, weakly.

"I was at the funeral," she said.

Suddenly, the door to the library banged open and Nick entered the room, with a proud look on his face.

"Ahh…home, sweet home!" he said.

Sean rolled his eyes as he followed Nick into the room, but Gus gently caught him by the arm, stopping him.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes," Gus told him, "so warn them."

Sean nodded and Gus left, closing the door behind him.

Nick slung one arm around Connie's shoulders, and another arm around Kyle's shoulders.

"So," he said, smiling and glancing between the two of them, "who missed me? C'mon, honestly, now!" he then looked at Connie, and grinned. "It was you, wasn't it, darlin'?"

"You were there?" Kyle asked, ignoring Nick.

Nick gave him a puzzled look.

"Yeah, man, I was cleanin' up the bathrooms with Sporty Spice over here," he said, nodding in Sean's direction, "you knew that."

"I'm not talkin' to you right now," Kyle told him, then refocused his attention on Connie. "You were at my dad's funeral?"

Nick, surprised, looked over at Connie again. "Whoa," he said, "you were there? Damn, I would've remembered you if you were there!"

"Yeah, so would I," said Kyle.

Sean gave Daf a puzzled look, but she just waved him off.

Sean rolled his eyes and looked over at the other three.

"Hey, Nick!" he called.

Nick glanced over at the two of them and Sean waved him over. Nick gave Kyle a small pat on the back, then headed over to Sean and Daf.

"What's goin' on?" Sean asked him.

Nick glanced at Daf, but she looked away, avoiding his eyes.

Quietly, Nick started to explain.

"Kyle's dad died in a car accident when he was five, " he explained, "both his parents actually went to school here, too."

"Which would explain why Connie was at the funeral," Daf realized.

Nick nodded. "When Kyle was eleven, his mom remarried, so she and Kyle changed their last names again."

"So Kyle Andrews used to be…Kyle Clark," Daf finished.

Nick nodded.

A few feet away, Kyle and Connie were putting the last pieces of the puzzle together.

"Y'know what?" Kyle told her, "I think I remember you."

Connie smiled. "Yeah, I remember you, too," she said. "Of course, you were a lot shorter then."

"And you still appear to be the same height," Kyle told her.

Connie punched him in the arm.

As Kyle clutched his arm and winced, Connie smiled. "Sorry," she said, "Bender reflex."

"I'll settle for that excuse," said Kyle, still rubbing his arm, "for now."

Connie shrugged, "So, our parents were friends in high school. It's kinda freaky, when ya think about it."

"What's so freaky about it?" Kyle asked.

"Well, y'know," she said. "Our parents knew each other back in high school, then you and I actually meet at your funeral, but we totally block it out until now, twenty years after our parents graduated from this same high school."

"Hey," said Kyle, "at my dad's funeral, didn't your mom even suggest that you and I have a play date or something?"

Connie shrugged, "She might have, that sounds like something my mom would do."

"Yeah, I think she did," Kyle murmered, "but we didn't end up having that play date, did we?"

Connie shook her head. "Not that I can remember."

"Wow, "Kyle muttered," it was The Play Date That Never Was..."

"Poetic, yet sad…"

"…A real Tony Award winner."

"Who won a Tony Award?" Nick asked, appearing next to Kyle.

Kyle smirked. "First tell me what a Tony Award is, then I'll tell you who won it."

Nick paused, obviously without a clue on that particular subject.

"Doesn't Tony Hawk give it out every year?"

"No," Kyle replied.

"Toni Braxton?"

"Nope."

"Tony Danza?"

Kyle gave him a quizzical look. "Tony Danza?"

"Well, excuse me for being a 'Who's The Boss' fan!" said Nick. "Damn, I miss that show…!"

Connie and Kyle just laughed.

* * *

_And there it is! Chapter 10! Kyle's paternity is finally revealed!_

_Fate certainly works in mysterious ways, eh? (I'm Canadian, it's my national obligation to say "eh")_

_And I DO apologize to any of you heartbroken Andrew Clark fans out there. Hey, I'm a fan, too! That's why I had him father Allison's child!_

_Even if you don't love me anymore, which, I hope is not the case, at least press the pretty button and tell me in Review format, OK?_

_Pretty please?_

_And up next : Daf does manual labour! Will she break a nail, or won't she? TUNE IN TO FIND OUT!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	11. Manual Labor Is For Man

_Disclaimer : I cannot take credit for an '80's movie, any more than I can take credit for the '80's itself. No, my children, because the '80's belonged to The Brat Pack, Hair Bands, John Hughes, and of course the Almighty…Ferris Bueller._

Author's Notes : ….CURTAIN **UP**!

Chapter 11 : Manual Labor Is For Man

By the time Gus came back into the library, all five teenagers were back at their original desks…except that Nick was doodling on the edge of his desk, Connie was sleeping on top of the same desk, Daf was applying purple polish to her fingernails, Kyle was flipping through a National Geographic and laughing to himself, and Sean was playing with a baseball that he'd been keeping in his jacket pocket, tossing it from one hand to the other.

Gus walked up to Daf's desk and she glanced up at him.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"As a matter, of fact, you can!" he replied, with a little smile, "it's your turn to do some clean up jobs around the school, along with her," Gus gestured to Connie.

Daf grimaced. "I don't like manual labor," she said.

"Well, you should've thought about that before you started screaming at your boyfriend in the school gym!" Gus told her.

Still looking at the magazine, Kyle quirked an eyebrow.

"C'mon, let's go missy," Gus grunted, and Daf got up out of her seat.

Gus then walked towards over to Connie and Nick's desk, rolling his eyes at Connie's sleeping form.

"Harrison," he said, "wake her up."

Nick grinned. "Yes, sir!" he said, standing up. He leaned right over until his face was mere inches away from Connie's, then he glanced over at Kyle.

"What do you think?" he asked "…tongue, or no tongue?"

Connie's eyes flew open and she sat straight up on the desk.

"Ah, damn…!" Nick muttered.

"So, where we goin'?" Connie asked, hopping off the desk.

Gus just nodded toward the door, and the girls followed him out of the library, but not before Connie glanced over her shoulder and glared at Nick on her way out.

Nick replied with an innocent "what did I do?" shrug.

When the door closed behind Connie, Nick glanced over at Kyle.

Kyle caught his friend looking at him. "What?" he asked.

"I thought, that out of the two of us, I was supposed to be the slacker," said Nick.

"You are!" Kyle assured him.

Nick quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked, "because for the past hour, I've been sanitizing the latrines, out there," he pointed to the door, "while you've been in here, doing absolutely nothing."

"Hey, I've been doing stuff!" Kyle argued.

"Like what?" Nick asked.

"Well, I've…been annoying Daf, and getting annoyed by Daf, looking through the old yearbook, and…plotting world domination."

"WHAT? You shouldn't be making any domination plans without ME!" Nick was shocked.

"Hey, you've been doing all of the planning since we were ten!" Kyle told him, "I should be doing some if I'm gonna be in on it, besides, I'm smarter!"

"You're smart, but I'm diabolical," Nick told him, "and I'm better looking."

"What do looks have to do with anything?" Kyle asked.

"It means I can charm my way past any female CIA agents we may come across," Nick replied, "plus, any female guards at Interpol." (**A/N** _for those of you who aren't familiar with that term, Interpol is the largest police organization in the world.)_

"OK, being charming and being cute are two totally different things," said Kyle.

"Not necessarily," said Nick, "when you're good looking, as I am, the charm comes naturally."

"Oh, that is bull – "

Sean just laid his head down on his desk and let out a tortured moan, wondering about the girls, where they were, and why he couldn't have gone with them.

* * *

Gus took the girls to the Art room, that was actually just at the end of the hallway. He unlocked the door and let them inside, flipping the light switch on as he did so.

When the lights came on, the girls really didn't need an explanation from Gus about what they had to do…..the room was a mess.

"The ninth graders were making piñatas this week," Gus explained, with a smug grin on his face.

Connie glanced over at Daf, who looked horrified.

Connie gazed around the room, taking in the mess. The table tops were covered with paint and paper mache, just like the floor, and the counters, and the sinks..

"Oh, this should be fun," Connie grumbled.

"Mr. Dukakis has been getting his class to clean up the room after class all week, except for Friday," said Gus.

"And they couldn't clean it up on Friday because - ?" Daf asked.

"Well, then you wouldn't serve much of a purpose, now, would you?" Gus replied. "Get to work, I'll be back in an hour," he then glanced around the room, "or maybe an hour and a half."

With one last grin, he turned around and headed out of the room, whistling the song "Cinderelly, Cinderelly" as he did so.

"That is one sadistic son of a bitch," Daf muttered.

"Well, with a boss like Vernon, what did you expect?" Connie asked. She then noticed two buckets on the table in the far corner of the room, no doubt, filled with cleaning rags and soapy water.

"C'mon," she said, walking across the room, "let's get to work."

Grabbing the buckets, the two girls went to different tables and started scrubbing them down.

"This has got to be against the Child Labor Laws," Daf grumbled, as she scrubbed the table top.

"You'd think so," Connie replied, "if you've never done chores before."

Daf stopped scrubbing and glared over at Connie. "What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

"Nothing," said Connie, still cleaning her table, "it's just that if you're not used to cleaning, or doing any sort of chores, this would be seen as intense physical labor."

"Hey, I've done chores!" said Daf.

"Like what?" Connie asked.

Daf glared at her. "I don't have anything to prove to you! Besides, why do you care?" she asked, her words dripping with venom.

Connie shrugged. "I don't, necessarily, I'm just curious because I've heard you bragging to your friends about how your house is always gleaming, your room always spotless….thanks to your _housekeeper_."

Daf scowled. "And what chores do you do, Connie?" she asked.

Connie shrugged. "I do the dishes, I dust around the house, everywhere except my room, cuz it's my own personal space and I don't have to change it if I don't want to…"

Daf rolled her eyes.

"…And sometimes I help my dad out around his garage, and he pays me for it," Connie finished.

"Well, aren't you just a good little worker bee!" said Daf, sarcastically. "And for your information, the only reason I don't do more chores is because I'm too busy – "

Daf suddenly stopped talking, she then glanced down and continued to clean, moving on to another table.

"You're too busy doing what?" Connie asked, "going out with your friends? Going on dates? Doing _homework_?" she waited expectantly, "What are you doing that takes up so much of your time?"

"Nothing," Daf grumbled, "get back to work, we don't have much time left."

Connie gave her a puzzled look, but Daf didn't notice because she wouldn't look at her anymore.

45 minutes later, when Gus came to take the girls back to the library, the room wasn't entirely spotless, but it was still a great improvement.

When Gus dropped them back off at the library, Daf and Connie still hadn't said a word to eachother.

* * *

CURTAIN **DOWN**!

Thanks for being so patient with me, guys! Cuz as you know, we fanfiction writers can get very busy with other stuff in our lives, so we don't always have time to write. And I know this chapter is rather short, but I'm kind of a writing rut at the moment, so please, bare with me

So what's all this mystery surrounding Daf? And which member of the group will she open up to first? Tune in to find out!

NEXT CHAPTER : Prank phone calls!

- Ace's Buddy


	12. Messing With The Bull

_Disclaimer : I did try to get the rights to The Breakfast Club, really, I did. John Hughes and I engaged in an epic battle, my light saber against his._

_…Unfortunately, since his light saber was more expensive, thus more high tech and shiny, he defeated me and my plastic piece of junk that I bought at a garage sale. So, until we meet again, I only own Connie, Nick, Sean, Daf, Kyle, and Gus the grumpy janitor._

A/N : and just to tell you now, this chapter is gonna be a bit longer than the previous chapters.

Chapter 12 : Messing With The Bull

Connie entered the library first, Daf followed mutely, and Gus stepped in last, the door shutting behind him.

"Alrighty…" he muttered, with a smile, "who's next?"

Nobody raised their hand to volunteer, so Gus just shrugged and scanned the room, looking for new victims, er, participants.

His gaze landed on Kyle, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, someone's cell phone started ringing…..to the tune of "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls.

The five teenagers glanced around at each other, trying to figure out whose cell phone it was, when suddenly, they all looked to the front of the room….to see Gus blushing furiously as he answered his phone.

"I'll be right back!" he called over his shoulder, as he walked hurriedly to a far corner of the room, behind the librarian's desk.

"Hello?" he answered as the five teens tried to control their laughter, so they could hear his conversation.

"Gus!" screeched the female voice on the other end. "Gus, ya gotta come home!"

"Sweetie, you know I'm workin' today!" said Gus.

"Gus, the water heater exploded!" screeched his wife. "Ya gotta come home now! There's water everywhere!"

"Alright! Alright, baby, calm down, I'm on my way right now!" Gus assured her. He snapped his phone shut and walked back over to the five teens.

"It seems that I have to go home, right away," he told them.

"Booty call, eh, big guy?"

"Shut your trap, Harrison, and wipe that damn smirk off your face, you just got another detention," snapped the disgruntled janitor. "No, my house is apparently flooding and my wife is going into hysterics, so you probably won't see me for the rest of the day!"

They all cheered.

"BUT…" Gus continued, "that doesn't mean Mr. Vernon won't be watching you."

Suddenly, the cheering stopped, and was replaced with silence…then Nick spoke up.

"Couldn't we come with you?"

Then everybody spoke up.

"It would be a perfect way to spend detention!"

"I do yoga with my mom, I could calm your wife down!"

"My water heater's gone kablooey before, I could help ya!"

"You don't really trust me alone with Vernon do you?"

"He's old! What if he croaks and you're not here? What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Everybody SHUT UP!" Gus hollered.

Suddenly the library door banged open.

"What the hell's going on in here?" barked Mr. Vernon. "Gus! You're supposed to be helping me discipline these kids, not rile them up! This is detention, not a damn house party!"

"…House party? Alright!" Nick cheered. "Who brought the brewskies?"

"Well, don't look at me, I was only told to bring the punch bowl," said Connie.

"Yeah, and I brought the chips and dip, Nick, YOU were in charge of the booze!" Kyle replied.

"Ohhhh…so _that's_ why I had such a bad headache this morning!" said Nick.

"All of you, can it!" Vernon bellowed, then he glared at Nick. "…And YOU, Harrison…! You're in enough trouble as it is when it comes to alcohol on school grounds!"

"Yes, but sadly, not enough trouble to get in the school paper!" Nick replied. "Sorry sir, but it's always been my dream to make the headlines one day."

"Oh, you will be, Harrison!" Vernon told him, "when they put you away in the State Penitentiary!"

"Forget it, then I'd just end up being somebody's wife!"

"Well, you do have very pretty eyes…."

"Andrews! Not another word outta you, either!" snapped Vernon.

Gus sighed and finally spoke up.

"Mr. Vernon, I'm sorry sir, but I've gotta go home right away."

"What? What for?"

"My wife called and said that our water heater exploded, I'm sorry sir, but she's getting hysterical."

"…After years of being married to you? I don't doubt it," Daf muttered.

"What was that, Miss Pearson?"

"Nothing, Mr. Vernon."

Mr. Vernon groaned as he turned back to Gus. "Alright fine," he said. "Go home and calm down your old lady, but I wanna see you back here next week!"

"I think he said that to me last week," Nick told Connie, just as Gus was leaving the library.

Vernon glared at Nick again. "Harrison, shut up!"

Nick feigned a look of hurt. "What," he said, "not even a 'please'?"

"I'm the God-damn principal!" Vernon barked. "I don't have to say please to any of you dickheads!"

"I gotta hand it to ya sir," said Nick, "I mean, you must be pushing 70, and you've still got the attitude of a 40 year old Army colonel."

"And the body of a Neanderthal," Connie muttered.

"What was that, Bender?" hissed Mr. Vernon, saying her last name like it was made of sludge.

"Well, sir," said Connie, "I was just wondering if you were referring to both the boys _and_ the girls of the group as 'dickheads', since Daf and I don't actually possess that part of the male anatomy."

"Boy, are you ever missin' out!" said Kyle.

"ANDREWS!"

"Aye?"

"Detention!" Vernon bellowed.

"Uh, sir…" Sean finally spoke up, "he's already in detention."

Vernon's eyes turned to slits as he looked over at Sean. "Congratulations, Mr. Dawson, since I have a no – tolerance policy for backtalk, you'll be joining Mr. Andrews and Mr. Harrison for detention next week!"

"Well, that saves me the trouble of using the phrase 'same time next week?' at the end of the day, thanks Mr. Vernon!" Nick commented.

"Shut UP, Harrison! All of you just SHUT UP!" Vernon exploded, then with a shaking, angry hand, he pointed to the exit.

"Now, my office is just across the hall, so if you do ANYTHING, I will hear you, and I'll come back in here, and if I have to come back in here, _I am cracking skulls_!" he bellowed.

And with one last lingering glare at the five teenagers, he left the library.

As the library door slammed behind the angry principal, all five teenagers saluted.

"That man," said Nick, "is a brownie – hound."

Confused, Sean looked over at Nick.

"What the hell is a brownie – hound?" he asked.

Nick shrugged.

"I dunno," he said, "I heard it somewhere and it just kinda stuck with me."

Then realization came over him.

"Oh yeah!" he said, "I read it on the bathroom wall once!"

Forty five minutes later, the teenagers were still in the library, having been not been given any new chores to do from Mr. Vernon.

"So," said Kyle, who was sitting on top of his desk, "ya think Vernon's just gonna keep us in here for the rest of the day?"

"That sounds like a fair punishment," said Nick, leaning back in his chair "…making us suffer by giving us free – run of the library."

"He's a senile old man who just doesn't give a damn," muttered Connie, once again on top of her desk, "which is fine be by me."

"A senile old man who just doesn't give a damn…" Nick repeated, "damn, that's what I wanted to be when I grew up."

"You'll never grow up, Nick," said Kyle, "remember? That's what you've been saying ever since we were four."

"Ah, yes…." Nick murmered, then glanced over at Connie. "Peter Pan was the one who made me realize my dream."

"A guy with a Peter Pan – complex…great," muttered Daf, "because the world has so few of those already."

"OK, but getting back to the point of the conversation…" said Kyle.

"There was a point to this conversation?" Sean asked.

"Shut it, Sporty Spice, and let the real man talk," said Nick.

"Thank you," said Kyle. "Now as I was about to say…if Vernon is just gonna keep us in here for the rest of the day, what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Just stay in our seats and shut up," muttered Sean.

"OK, Mel C has voiced her suggestion…anyone else?" asked Kyle.

"Fuck off, loser!" Sean snapped.

"Shh, you already had your turn!" Kyle told him. "Now, anybody else?"

"Well, it is a library," said Connie, "we could…read, or something."

"Oh, Connie," muttered Nick, shaking his head. "Connie, Connie, Connie…dear, _sweet_ Connie, that's not a solution, that's a worst – case scenario."

"OK, then," said Connie, propping herself up on her elbow, "what's your great idea?"

Nick shrugged. "I'm still thinking," he said.

Connie frowned. "Well, then what the hell are you pickin' on me for?" she asked.

"I'm not picking on you!" Nick told her.

"I offered a suggestion and you shot it down, when you had no idea whatsoever!"

"That's cuz I'm still thinking!"

"Oh my God, they're arguing," mumbled Kyle, grinning "…I think I love this."

"Reading in a library is not that far – fetched!" Connie continued.

"But reading during detention is just dumb!" said Nick. "Cuz you're already in detention, meaning Vernon already hates us just for being in here, so why not live up to the low expectations?"

Connie frowned in confusion. "Meaning, what?" she asked.

Nick smirked.

"_Meaning _we have a little fun," he said, then he glanced over at the librarian's desk and something caught his eye. "And I know just the way to do it."

In his office across the hall, Mr. Vernon was leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed, doing his best to try and fall asleep.

But he just couldn't get his mind off the five co-habitants of the room across the hall.

"Miserable little pricks," he mumbled to himself, "it really is a wonder why I haven't retired yet."

Suddenly, his eyes opened and he found himself gazing down at the bottom drawer of his desk….the only drawer that had a lock on it.

He pulled open the top drawer and took a small gold key out of it, and was about to unlock the bottom drawer, when the phone rang.

With a sigh, the old man dropped the key back into the top drawer and reached across the desk to grab the phone.

"Richard Vernon," he greeted gruffly.

"Mr. Vernon?" the voice sounded unfamiliar and very nasal, like that Fran Drescher woman he hated so much.

"I just said that was my name, yes," snapped Mr. Vernon. "Now, who is this and what do you want?"

"Keep your pants on sir!" replied the voice. "Oh, but if your pants aren't on at the moment, I can certainly call back at a later time."

"Just never you mind about my pants, asshole!" snapped Mr. Vernon, "who the hell are you?"

"Mr. Vernon, this is Eugene from Shermer Pharmaceuticals," said the voice, "I just called to let you know that your shipment of Viagra just came in."

Mr. Vernon's eyes widened. "My WHAT?"

"Your shipment of Viagra, Mr. Vernon," repeated Eugene, "y'know, you came in here last week and ordered that extra _large_ shipment? Remember?"

The principal's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell is this?" he hissed.

"It's Eugene, sir."

"Like Hell, it is! Who are you?" the old man roared.

"- Oh, sorry sir, I've gotta go, there's some guy here who's havin' trouble finding the Preparation H!" said Eugene, who quickly hung up.

At the sound of the dial tone, Mr. Vernon groaned in frustration, then a sudden thought occurred to him as he looked towards the door to his office.

He rose to his feet and walked across his small office, banging open the door and stalking across the hall to the library.

When the library door banged open, all five teenagers looked up in surprise.

Mr. Vernon glared as he surveyed the scene before him.

All five of them were sitting at their desks, in the same seats they'd been sitting in when they first arrived that morning.

"Problem, sir?" Nick asked.

"What's going on here?" the principal growled.

The teenagers all glanced at each other and then looked back at Mr. Vernon.

"Nothing, sir," said Sean. "We were just sitting here, like we're supposed to."

Mr. Vernon snorted. "Yeah," he said, "I've heard that line before." (A/N and if you remember, HE HAS! Originally, Molly Ringwald said it.)

"Is something wrong, sir?" Connie asked.

"Probably," Mr. Vernon muttered, then with one last glance around the room, he turned around and left the library.

When the door slammed shut, Daf and Connie started to laugh, but Nick shushed them.

He then looked at his watch for a moment, then smiled. "OK," he said, "go ahead, he's in his office by now."

And they all burst out laughing as Nick handed Connie back her cell phone, and Connie took the small business card from Nick that he'd been holding.

She smiled as she read it over. It came from a small plastic holder on the librarian's desk, and had the name _Shermer High School _on the top, with _Head Principal : Richard Vernon_ below that, and just under his name was 555- 8764.

…The school's phone number.

Connie smiled as she glanced over at Nick.

"You crafty little jackass, you," she said.

Nick smiled back.

"We'll wait about ten minutes, then you can have your turn," he said.

Forty five minutes later, Mr. Vernon had gotten five more phone calls. One from an Irish woman advertising for IHOP ; the Irish House Of Potatoes. Another from a Swedish stripper claiming she wanted her money, a third from Al Capone, calling from beyond the grave, and offering to help him take care of the Swedish stripper. Ten minutes later came a call from John Madden, and after that, yet another call from Eugene, claiming that he needed to come and pick up his Viagra soon, otherwise the price would go up.

With a cry of frustration, Mr. Vernon unplugged his phone and threw it across the room, then he put his head down on his desk and moaned, pitifully.

It was days like these that he really, _really_ wanted to retire.

* * *

_Yes, I know it's been a while since the last update, but hopefully was worth the wait._

_Oh, and the mention of John Madden (NFL legend) was a sort of treat for a few friends of mine. _

_Also, I wanna wish a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend Mockingbirdflyaway who's having a birthday this saturday!_

_REVIEW!_

- Ace's Buddy


	13. I Want To Know You Better pt 1

_Disclaimer : John Hughes owns the original, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him get his hands on my new version!  
Mostly because, if I ever made a movie out of this, Jesse McCartney would be in it, cuz I love him and I'm writing it and I say so! And then of course, if he was in it, I'd be in it...cuz I love him and I'm writing it and I say so!_

_Author's Notes : YES!!!! I'M BACK!!!! Terribly sorry for that extremely long hiatus, but I was havin' some computer trouble, and then i had even MORE computer trouble! Which sucked, because before all the trouble started I had half of this chapter written already! But anyway,I'm back, so let's just continue, shall we?  
...I hope you guys like my Christmas present!_

Chapter 13: I Want To Know You Better pt. 1

Fifteen minutes after the prank calls and the laughing had stopped, Kyle was leaned back in his chair, just staring blankly ahead.

"I'm bored," he said.

"And repetitive," said Connie.

"And rude," Daf added.

"..Not to mention, whiney," Sean put in.

"...Tall," Nick murmered, "he's also too tall. Does anyone else think he's too tall?"

"OK! I GOT IT!" Kyle interjected. "But what the hell does Vernon expect us to do that'll keep us occupied for a whole day?"

"Oh, dear, sweet, stupid Kyle," Nick muttered. "The idea is to do something Vernon _doesn't_ expect us to do, that's the fun of this whole experience."

"So you're saying that we should...behave?" Connie asked.

"Oh no no no no no," said Nick,"I would never suggest that...mostly because I physically can't do that."

"It's true," said Kyle. "He's tried to sit still before, in class, but he just ended up goin'' all twitchy for the next three hours."

"You have an allergic reaction to good behaviour...?" Daf asked "...why didn't I see that coming?"

"Don't blame yourself, Pom - Poms," Nick told her."I have a way of achieving acts that people always think are impossible."

"You still can't pat your head and rub your stomch at the same time," Kyle muttered.

"Shut up! It's a work - in - progress!" Nick snapped.

Connie smiled.

"I know something we could do,..." she said.

Nick quirked an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't wanna do that?" he reminded her.

Connie gave him a Look that she'd inherited it from her mother...at least, that's what her father always told her.

"Yeah, I wasn't talking about that," she said.

Nick stuck out his lower lip and stared at her with puppy dog eyes.

"I said no, now quit it!" Connie told him.

Nick just shrugged and turned in his seat to face forward.

"But as I was saying..." Connie continued, "I do have an idea."

"No way it's better than my idea," Nick muttered.

"Nick, sticking my tongue to a metal pole in the middle of January is better than your idea!" Connie told him.

"Why, miss Bender, how you wound me with your words..."

"What's your freakin' idea, Connie?" Daf asked, before Nick could say anything else.

"OK, well, it's kind of a game," Connie began,"..but not really."

"Well, then, what is it?" Kyle asked.

"It's more of an...activity," Connie replied.

"A dirty activity?" Nick asked.

Connie turned to glare at him.

"Did your parents teach you to read by giving you a stack of Playboys, or something?" she asked.

Nick looked puzzled.

"There's stuff to READ in a Playboy magazine?" he asked.

Daf groaned."Would somebody just throw something at him..please?" she begged.

Kyle shook his head. "It's no good," he said, "everything would just bounce off his head."

"I'm willing to test that theory, anyway," said Sean, flatly.

"OK, so does _anyone _actually wanna hear my idea?" Connie asked, exasperated.

"We want to hear your idea," said Daf, "but we'll probably have to kill Nick before you can tell us what it is."

"Fine," said Connie, then she turned to Nick.

"Hey, Nick..." she said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Can ya shut your freakin' pie-hole for a couple minutes?"

"Sure thing," he replied.

"Thank you," said Connie, then she turned to face the rest of them.

"That better?" she asked.

"Is he actually gonna keep his trap shut?" Sean asked.

"'Course he is," said Kyle, "once Nick agrees to do something, he doesn't back down, he follows through."

Nick smiled and nodded.

"Well," said Connie, with a smile, "that's a good quality to have..especially if we're gonna play my game."

"I thought you said it was more of an activity?" Kyle asked.

"Whatever," said Connie.

Connie then proceeded to get up and walk over to the librarian's desk...she then walked behind it and disappeared.

"What're you doing?" Sean asked.

"Getting supplies," Connie answered, from behind the desk. A few seconds later,she stood back up, holding a stack of looseleaf paper.

"We're playing paper - football?" Sean asked, hopeful.

"No," Connie replied, grabbing a few pens off the desk.

The three boys all groaned with disappointment.

"Trust me," said Connie, "it's more fun than paper - football."

"I don't believe it," said Sean.

"Well, then shut up so I can explain further and then maybe you'll believe me!" Connie told him, with a fake smile.

"Yeah Sean," said Kyle, grinning, "after all, you don't want her to give you _another_ black eye, do you?"

"Lick Vernon's onions!" Sean snapped.

"Chomp on his pickle!" Kyle replied. (**A/N**..._inspired by one of the greatest sitcoms ever_, _Married With Children_..._a show that I highly recommend each of you watch, if you never have before. It's in syndication now, but that just means it's on a lot more.) _

Nick burst out laughing, Connie tried to hide a grin...and Daf didn't get it.

"What the hell does that mean?" Daf asked.

"Never mind," chorused the other four.

Daf rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance.

"Anyway..." Connie contunued, as she passed out several pieces of looseleaf to each of them,"this is sorta like Truth or Dare...only kinda without the Dare part."

"So it's basically just a game of Truth...?" Kyle asked.

Connie paused, thinking it over.

"More like...Dare To Tell The Truth," she replied.

Nick quirked an eyebrow, intrigued.

"OK, everybody writes some questions down on the paper,you've got ten minutes to write as many as you can,then you tear them off the page and we put them into one big pile, and we each take a turn, pulling one question out of the pile, and first, you answer it, then everybody else answers it."

"And how is this supposed to be fun?" Sean asked, "sounds kinda boring to me."

"Well, El Jocko, you didn't let me finish," Connie replied. "You can write down any kind of question you want,anonymously. It can be as general as 'what's your favorite color?' to something as personal as 'when's the last time you had sex?'...and the fun part, is that you _have _to answer each question."

"You have to?" Daf asked.

"That's what I said," Connie replied.

Suddenly, Nick raised his hand.

"Yes, Nick," said Connie,"even _you_ can put in dirty questions."

Nick smiled, and put his hand down for a moment, but then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he raised it again.

"And yes..." Connie contnued, "this does mean that you're allowed to talk now."

Nick smirked.

"'Bout damn time," he said, "although, I was doin' pretty well, ya gotta admit."

Connie smiled.

"Yeah, you're the man, man," said Kyle.

Nick snorted. "Well, duh," he muttered, then he took a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

Immediately, everybody else went to Nick and Connie's desk to grab their own pen, then they went back to their desks and started writing, furiously.

Nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, Connie checked her watch.

"Time's up," she said."Everybody got some somethin' written down?"

"Dude," Nick muttered," you are _so_ destined to become a teacher."

"Bite me, free loader," Connie replied. "OK, nobody rip off their questions yet, we need to find somewhere to do this."

"Why can't we just do it here?" Sean asked.

"Well, cuz we're all sitting apart from eachother," said Connie, "we need a place where we can all sit together and do this."

So they all looked around the large room, considering all the areas where they could continue with their game, er...activity.

Suddenly, Kyle pointed up to the second floor of the library, at the small platform looking out over the first floor.

"How 'bout up there?" he suggested.

Connie nodded. "Let's go," she said, rising from her chair.

"Whoa! Wait!" Sean stopped her. "So, that's it?"

"So, what's it?" Connie asked.

"So you're the one who decides where we go and what we do all the sudden?" Sean asked, "you didn't even bother to ask the rest of us if we wanted to go up there..and I never even said I wanted to play this dumb game."

"It's an _activity_," said Nick, in a mock - whisper.

Ignoring Nick, Connie looked over at Sean.

"Well, if you don't wanna play this dumb game, then why did you pick up a dumb pen and start writing stuff down on the dumb paper?" she asked.

Sean glared at her, then glanced around at the others, who were staring at him, questioningly.

"Cuz I felt like it," he snapped.

Connie smirked, and daf rolled her eyes.

"OK then," said Connie,"Daf, do you care if we go upstairs to do this?"

"I could care less," Daf replied, nonchalantly.

"Kyle..you care?" Connie asked.

"Nope," Kyle replied, stealing a glance at Daf, who looked away quickly.

"Nick...?"

Nick just smirked and stood up.

"Lead the way, milady," he quipped.

Kyle chuckled and Sean snorted with disgust.

Connie just smiled and headed toward the stairs.

Once they were all seated on the floor of the platform, they all started to rip their papers up, and put their questions into a growing pile in the middle of the group.

After Connie had placed her last question into the pile, she leaned her back against the railing and looked to her right, where Nick was leaning against a gray, rectangular pillar.

"You done?" she asked.

"Yup," he said. "And don't worry, I tried my very hardest to be as dirty as I possibly could."

"Oh, I'm sure your mother would be so proud," Daf remarked,sitting across from him.

Nick snorted. "Knowing her?...probably."

Connie turned and looked to her left,where Kyle was sitting in the corner.

"You done, too?" she asked.

Kyle nodded, putting the last scrap of paper in the fair - sized pile in the middle of the platform.

So Connie looked over at Daf and Sean.

"How 'bout you two?" she asked.

"I'm all in," said Daf, putting her last few scraps of paper in the pile.

"Poker reference...nice," said Kyle, sounding almost impressed.

"Thankyou," Daf replied, with a small smirk.

Sean gave a snort of displeasure.

"How 'bout you, Seanny - boy?" Nick asked."You all in, too?"

"I still say this is stupid," Sean grumbled.

"That's not what he asked you, Sean," said Daf.

Sean glared at her.

"Yeah," he said, turning to look at Nick, throwing his last scrap into the center."I'm done."

"Alright then," said Connie. "Who wants to pick the first question?"

"Me!" answered Nick, Daf and Kyle,their hands all shooting up.

Connie glanced questioningly at Sean, but he just shrugged, nonchalantly.

Nick and Kyle both grudgingly agreed to let Daf go first ("'ladies first'..." Nick muttered, "what idiot thought _that_ up?"). so Daf, with a triumphant grin on her face, reached into the middle of the pile, and pulled out a small scrap of paper.

She unfolded it, and read it over, rolling her eyes.

"'When's the last time you had sex?'" she read off the paper.

Everyone looked over at Nick.

"Oh please," he said, "how little you people must think of me ..cuz that's what I like to call,"amateur dirtiness'."

"He's got a point," said Kyle,"when he says he's gonna write somethin' dirty, the man goes all-out."

"It's true," Nick agreed.

"It's anonymous anyway, so it doesn't matter," said Connie. "But Daf, 'amateur dirtiness' or not, you do have to answer it."

Daf bit her bottom lip and glanced at Sean, looking almost sad.

"Tuesday," she said.

Nick gasped and Sean's eyes went wide.

"A _school night_?! Oh Daf, you rebel, you..." said Nick, smirking.

"Nick..." Connie and Kyle both muttered, in warning tones.

"Tuesday..." Sean muttered, glaring at Daf."So, the _night_ we broke up, you go out and jump on the first guy you see, is that it?"

"Ouch," Connie whispered.

"ooh..." Kyle and Nick muttered.

"No," Daf answered.

Everyone gave her a puzzled look, but then she continued.

"...Actually, the _day_ we broke up, I went in the Sports equipment closet in the gym,an hour later, with Tyler Addison."

Nick snorted back a laugh. "Equipment closet...how appropriate..."

"SHUT IT, DILLHOLE!" Sean snapped.

"Right, you're in pain,sorry," Nick muttered.

"I'm not in pain!" Sean argued. "In fact, y'know what? I'll go next."

"Oh boy," Connie muttered, "this is gonna get real ugly...and it's only the first question."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, whispering,"but at least it's not boring, right?"

"Nick..."

"Right,right, pain is bad..."

"The last time I had sex," Sean continued, ignoring Nick, "was Thursday night, in the back seat of Mackenzie Luddman's car."

"MACKENZIE LUDDMAN?" Daf and Connie echoed, in shock.

"Mackenzie Luddman...!" Nick and Kyle repeated,sounding impressed.

"You had sex with my ex - best friend in the back of her Camaro, is that what you're telling me?" Daf asked, in angry disbelief.

"Dude, what year?" Nick asked.

Connie smacked Nick in the arm and glared at him.

But Sean just smiled with satisfaction.

"Cherry red,'75," he replied.

"Wait, why is she your ex - best friend?" Connie asked Daf.

"Because of all the times she tried to steal him away from me when Sean and I were together," Daf explained, coldly.

"Bitch!" Connie muttered.

"Thankyou," Daf replied.

"Yes, it was a horrible thing to do..." said Nick"...but an _awesome_ car to do it in!"

"Wait a minute!" Sean spoke up, defensive."Now _she_," he pointed to Daf, "has sex with a guy an hour after we break up, in the sports equipment closet - "

Nick chuckled.

"...Equipment closet..."

"SHUT IT!"

"I GOT IT! I GOT IT! Pain is bad!"

"As I was saying..." Sean continued, "she has sex in the sports equipment closet an _hour_ after we break up, and she catches a break! But I have sex, in the back of a car, two _days_ after we break up, and I get all the disapproval?"

"Whadda you care?" Kyle asked.

Sean glanced at him, questioningly.

"What?"

"Well, why do you care about our opinion of you?" Kyle continued, "you don't like us,anyway, why should what we think matter to you?"

Sean opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

He was speechless.

"Ye gads, Mr.Andrews," Nick murmered, "I do believe you've rendered him speechless."

"Yeah," said Kyle,smiling, "it's a talent of mine."

"It's true," Nick agreed, glancing at Connie, "you want to shut anybody up, Kyle's your man."

"And if you want to get somebody away from you, using any tactic possible,that's when Nick's your guy," said Kyle.

"Should I move so you two can continue your man - love moment?" Connie asked.

Daf and Sean both smirked.

Kyle's eyes went wide and Nick coughed,uncomfortably.

It was obvious that the man - love moment was over.

"Well," said Daf, grinning, "I think we just discovered Connie's big talent."

"Yeah, yeah..." Nick muttered, anxious to change the subject, "so who wants to go next?"

"Well, how bout you?" Connie asked him. "When was the last time you had sex?"

"Me?" Nick asked, then squinted his eyes, thinking."Umm...last night, in the backseat of Mackenzie Luddman's Camaro."

"What?" Sean asked, shocked.

Nick chuckled.

"I'm totally kidding," he confessed. "No, it _was_ last night, but it was with Sarah Wallace."

"And where did this happen?" Connie asked.

"Sarah Wallace's bedroom," Nick answered, smirking.

"Ah, the 'sneakin' in through the window' approach..." Kyle muttered, smiling.

"Now, that's romantic," said Daf, then she glared at Sean, "and classy."

"OK, Kyle, you next," said Connie.

"Uhhh..." Kyle appeared uneasy. "Uh, how 'bout I go last?"

"I knew it!" Sean exclaimed."He's a virgin!"

"I'm not a freakin' virgin, OK? I just don't wanna go yet," Kyle snapped.

"Well, Kyle, you're gonna have to go soon anyway," Connie reminded him, "we all have to answer each question."

"Just do it, dude," said Nick.

"Trust me," Kyle told him, "you don't wanna hear this."

"Well, I'm sure none of us wanna hear this, but tell us anyway!" Sean told him.

"Sean, shut up!" said Connie. "Kyle, it's OK...I'll go first if you want me to."

"No..." said Kyle, "no, I'll go."

"Ok, so...?" Nick looked at his friend, interested. "When was the last time you had sex?"

Kyle took a deep breath.

"Last week," he answered, "in the sports equipment closet."

There was a collective "OH MY GOD!" from the other four teenagers.

"Yeah," Kyle muttered.

"And who were you with?" Daf asked.

Kyle took another deep breath before answering.

"Justine Morgan."

Suddenly, something seemed to flicker behind Nick's eyes.

A mix of realization...and fury.

"Connie..." Nick muttered, through clenched teeth.

"What?" Connie asked.

"Could you move outta the way?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Cux I need to kill Kyle and you're in the way right now," he told her, glaring at Kyle.

Connie glanced at Kyle, then back at Nick, confused.

"Something to share with the rest of the group, fellas?" Sean asked.

"Justine Morgan and I broke up two weeks ago," Nick replied, still glaring at Kyle.

"Oh boy," Daf muttered."This is gonna be bad...this is gonna be really bad..."

"How is this worse than you having sex an hour after we broke up?" Sean asked her.

"I'm sorry, have you never watched TV in your life?" Daf asked him, "have you not seen any movies, either?"

"A best friend's girlfriend is not someone you get involved with," Connie explained, "not while they're dating and not after they break up."

"I'll kill you!" Nick growled, trying to lunge at Kyle, but Connie pushed him back.

"I'm sorry!" said Kyle. "Look, you two weren't even together for that long anyway!Two weeks!You dated for two weeks!"

"Still reason enough to kill you!" Nick fired back, trying to lunge at him again, but once again, Connie pushed him back down...then she sat down in his lap.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm stopping you from killing your best friend," she told him.

"But _you're_ my new best friend, anyway, remember?" he reminded her.

"Fine," she said, "then as my first act as your new best friend, I'm going to stop you from doing something that you will most certainly regret in the near future."

"Thankyou," said Kyle.

"You, shut up," Connie ordered.

"Connie..." Daf spoke up.

"What?" Connie asked.

"It's your turn."

* * *

_That's right, I've returned to you...bringing the gift of a two - parter!_

_DUNH DUNH DUNH!!!_

_please don't hate me, cuz I love you all sooooo much...and your reviews, I love them, too._

_So please review, and Merry Christmas!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	14. I Want To Know You Better pt 2

_Disclaimer: New Breakfast Club - Mine. Old Breakfast Club - Not mine._

Chapter 14: I Want To Know You Better pt. 2

_See my eyes_

_Don't see what I see_

_Touch my tongue_

_Don't know what tastes good to me_

_It's the human condition that keeps us apart_

_Yeah, everybody's got a story that could break your heart_

"Connie..." Daf spoke up.

"What?" Connie asked.

"It's your turn."

Connie's breath suddenly caught in her throat.

"Sorry?" she asked, pretending not to understand.

"It's your turn to answer the question," Daf told her.

"Oh...right," Connie muttered.

"C'mon Connie," Sean prodded,"when was the last time that _you_ had sex?"

Hesitant, Connie looked around at the other four.

"I have to answer...?" she asked.

"According to your own rules," Nick reminded her.

"Uh..." Connie stammered."OK..."

"I KNEW IT!" Sean exclaimed. "She's a total virgin!"

"You also thought I was a virgin," Kyle reminded him,"and that one kinda blew up in everybody's face, now, didn't it?"

"Actually," said Daf, "it was more in your face than anyone else's."

"Answer the question, Connie," said Sean.

"Don't pressure her, _Sean_," said Nick, in a hardened tone.

"Hey, this game was her idea!" Sean reminded him. "Besides, she doesn't have close connections to anyone here, like the rest of us do - "

"She's connected to me," Kyle pointed out.

"Yeah, me too," said Nick."Actually, we're kinda all connected to eachother because of today, aren't we?"

They all paused, thinking about Nick's statement.

"Yeah, well that's all very touching," said Daf,"but as much as I hate to agree with my ex - boyfriend the beefhead, he is right."

"Thankyou," said Sean, smiling.

"Don't smile too much, she did also call you a beefhead," Kyle muttered.

"But the beefhead was right," Connie mumbled.

"What?" Nick asked.

Connie turned her head a little to look at Nick (since she was still sitting in his lap) and sighed.

"He was right," she said,"I've never done it, Sean was right."

"YES!" Sean raised his fist, triumphant.

"Shut up!" Daf snapped, then she turned back to Connie. "So, you _are_ a virgin?"

"Yes, it's true," Connie replied,"white is my best color."

Nick smirked.

"I'm just waitng for the opportune moment," Connie continued "...like Johnny Depp told me to."

"I'd say that's good advice," said Kyle "...even if she did get it from a pirate."

"Absolutely," Nick agreed."This isn't the kinda thing you ever wanna rush into."

"Well, then...why did you guys do it?" Connie asked them.

There was silence around the group, no one was sure how to answer.

...Until, of course, Nick spoke up.

"Is that a question from the pile?" he asked.

"Um...I dunno," Connie replied.

"Well, then, it's not a legitimate question right now," he told her.

"Oh, come on!" Connie whined.

"Don't complain to me, little lady, this is your game," Nick reminded her.

"Dude, that was so John Wayne," said Kyle.

"What was John Wayne?" Nick asked.

" 'Don't complain to me,little lady'," Kyle mimicked,then he snickered."All hail, the Duke..."

"Shut it, asshole!" Nick grumbled "...and hey, I may have a girl sitting in my lap right now, but that doesn't mean that I'm not still pissed at you, so _zip it_!"

"You were _broken_ - "

"OK, next question!" Connie interjected."Who wants to pick from the pile, now?"

"I'll do it," Kyle volunteered.

Connie nodded."Let 'er rip," she said.

Kyle rolled his eyes and took a scrap of paper from the top of the pile.

He unfolded the small piece of paper and then began to read it aloud.

"When was the last time ..."

Everyone then let out a collective groan.

"...You cried?" Kyle finished.

The groaning stopped suddenly, and was replaced with looks of confusion from four of the others. (**A/N** The fifth person, of course, wouldn't be confused because he/she was the one who wrote the question. But who was it?...It's whoever you think it is, cuz I'm sure - as - hell not gonna tell ya...it makes it more fun this way, anyway...you can make your own guesses as to who submitted each question.)

"The last time I cried...?" Daf asked.

"I don't cry," said Sean.

"Have you ever seen Ol' Yeller?" Nick asked.

Sean shrugged. "Yeah," he said.

"Then I've got news for ya..." said Nick"...you've cried."

The others nodded in agreement.

"OK, Kyle, so when was the last time you cried?" Connie asked.

Kyle fidgeted.

"Are _all_ these questions written to get me in trouble?" he asked

"Why, did you cry after your closet sex with Justine?" Nick asked, then he gasped, mockingly. "Was it _that_ beautiful?"

"OK, do you have any idea of all the things I could do to you while I'm sitting here, that you would _not_ enjoy?" Connie asked Nick, in a warning tone.

"Are you gonna suck _all _the fun out of my life?" Nick asked her.

Connie smiled, sweetly.

"Is that a question from the pile?" she asked.

"No," Nick replied.

"Well, then it's not a legitimate question."

"BURN!" Sean exclaimed.

"Shut up, beefhead!" Nick snapped, then he turned to look back at Connie.

"Y'know," he said,"I think I'm rubbing of on you too much, which means, your parents may not like you very much after today."

"OK, Kyle!" Daf spoke up,"spill your guts, already!"

"The last time I cried..." Kyle mumbled, thinking it over. "The last time I cried was...last February, at my grandpa's funeral."

"Awwww...!" Daf and Connie both exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Kyle muttered, gazing beyond the metal railing, at the rest of the library.

"Wait, was this your mom's dad, your dad's dad, or your step - dad's dad?" Sean asked.

"My mom's dad," Kyle replied. "Why?"

Sean shrugged. "Just curious," he said.

"Yeah, I used to spend a lot of time with him when I was a kid," said Kyle, smiling fondly."He used to take me on fishing trips during the summer, and he actually bought me my first dog when I was about six...a collie, I named her Macey. Then, of course I got busier when I was in junior high, and his arthritis got worse, so we couldn't spend as much time together as we wanted to, but at all the holiday dinners, like Christmas and Easter, we would always sit together and tell eachother jokes, and I'd tell him what was goin' on with me, and what kinda trouble Nick had gotten me into recently - "

Nick smirked.

"But of course,he couldn't be around forever, and he sorta proved that after he developed stomach cancer..." Kyle's voice suddenly dropped,"he fought it for about a year, until he couldn't fight it anymore...and then he died."

"Damn," Sean muttered,"that sucks."

"I'm sorry, Kyle," said Daf, her voice quiet.

Nick gazed at Connie.

"I hate to tell ya, Bender," he said,"but this game, while it _is_ keeping us busy, kinda seems like more of a downer than anything else."

"Yeah," Daf agreed. "Uh maybe we should find something else to do."

"No!" Kyle insisted. "C'mon, this is actually kind of a cool game, let's keep goin' with it."

"Alright," said Connie."But how about we take away the rule that says you have to answer every question, so if you wanna pass on one, you can pass. OK?"

"Sounds good," said Nick.

"I'm definitely OK with that," Daf agreed.

"Me, too," said Sean.

Connie finally looked over at Kyle, who just shrugged.

"OK then..." said Connie, "does anyone else wanna answer the present question?"

"I can't even remember the last time I cried," said Sean.

"Yeah, me neither," Nick muttered.

Connie, not totally convinced, gave Nick a questioning look, but he wouldn't look back at her.

So Connie looked over at Daf, who actually looked back at her.

"Pass," Daf replied, quietly.

Daf noticed Kyle giving her a questioning look, mixed with understanding...and sympathy.

He had just talked about how he had cried at his grandfather's funeral, and he was looking at _her_ with sympathy.

Daf quickly looked away and turned back to Connie.

"So, let's get another question," she said.

Connie nodded."Sean...you pick."

Sean, slightly surprised, shrugged and dug his hand into the pile, pulling out a small scrap of paper from the bottom.

"...'What's your favorite Disney movie?'" He read aloud.

"Well...?" said Nick,"c'mon, fess up, pretty boy."

Sean sighed and rolled his eyes,thinking.

"Remember The Titans," he answered.

Nick and Kyle mumbled their approval.

Sean then looked over at Daf.

" The Little Mermaid," she answered.

Connie quickly stopped Nick before he could get too far into his rendition of "Under The Sea".

"Kyle, how 'bout you?" Connie asked.

"Pirates of The Caribbean," Kyle replied.

Everybody voiced their approval.

"Well, Bender...how 'bout you?" Nick asked, gazing down at the girl sitting in his lap.

"Well..." Connie pondered,"there's no doubt that I love Pirates Of The Caribbean also, but if we're going favorite _all - time_ Disney movie, then I've gotta go with The Lion King."

Nick and Kyle smiled at eachother...and then broke out into a chorus of "The Circle Of Life".

"No singing until Nick answers!" Daf shouted.

The boys stopped singing, and pouted.

"I choose The Lion King,too," he answered.

"The Lion King 2?" Daf asked."As in, the sequel?"

"No, as in, I choose The Lion King _also_," Nick answered."...So can we sing again?"

"NO!" Connie, Daf and Sean immediately answered.

Nick pouted and gestured to Daf.

"But she said - "

" - I lied," Daf replied.

"It's this thing she does," said Sean.

Daf glared at him.

Sean just smirked.

"OK,I guess I'll pick the next one," said Connie, then she glanced at Nick."...Unless you want to?"

"Nah, ladies first, after all," said Nick.

Connie snorted as she reached into the pile.

"I'm no lady, fella," she muttered.

Nick almost grinned.

"Glad to hear it," he said.

Daf noticed a slight blush appear on Connie's face, then it disappeared as quickly as it came.

" 'What is the one thing you want most in the world, for yourself?'" Connie read.

"Well...?" Kyle asked. "What's your response?"

Connie thought for a moment, a small smile on her face.

"Pass," she said.

Everybody voiced their disapproval.

"Shut up!It's allowed!" Connie argued."Nick,how 'bout you?"

"Me?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," said Connie,"what do you want most in the world?"

Nick suddenly broke into an evil grin.

"Actually, I really shouldn't say," he replied.

Once again, everyone voiced their disapproval, except for Kyle.

"Wait, wait!" he said, his voice breaking through the jeers "...would this happen to be the fantasy that has to do with a rotating spit, a gasoline fire...and Justin Timberlake?"

Nick grinned. "That's the one," he replied.

"Ooh..." Kyle muttered,"yeah, you guys don't wanna hear that one, it's pretty graphic."

"Oh good Lord...!" Daf whined, disgusted.

"Pretty much," said Kyle.

"OK, so Mr.'Lord Of The Flies' has given us an idea about his greatest wish," said Connie "...anybody else?"

"Well, I was gonna say a speedboat and a small island in the Caribbean..." said Sean,"but that Justin Timberlake thing actually sounds pretty good to me."

"I agree," said Kyle,"mostly because I helped Nick come up with that idea in the first place."

The girls both rolled their eyes.

"Daf," said Kyle "...how 'bout you?"

"Oh, uh...pass," Daf answered.

"Is it because it involves Sean rotating on a spit above a gasoline fire...?" Kyle asked,"cuz y'know,we can handle that."

"Eat my shorts, asshole," Sean snapped.

"Wash 'em first, then maybe I'll consider it."

"Wait," said Nick. "So, neither of you girls are gonna tell us your deepest, selfish little desires?"

Connie glanced at Daf, and Daf looked back at her, knowingly.

"Nope," they replied.

"OK, then..." Nick muttered. "Next question - "

Suddenly, from the floor below, a loud bang was heard.

...Like the sound of someone angry slamming a door.

"What the hell do you idiots think you're doing?" Vernon shouted...from the front of the room.

Sean and Daf, wide - eyed and shocked, turned to look down at the furious face of their principal.

Daf glanced back at Kyle, who was wincing, like he was preparing for the worst.

Connie looked up at Nick,and saw that Nick had closed his eyes and sucked in his breath, also preparing for the worst.

He then opened his eyes and glanced down at her.

"So," he whispered,"I guess I'll see ya next saturday."

"I thought you weren't gonna say that," she whispered back.

"Actually, I didn't ever say I was _never_ gonna say that, I just said - "

"ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!" Vernon roared. "What the hell is going on here?"

But the five teenagers were frozen in their spots (which wasn't exactly good, considering that Connie was still sitting on Nick's lap), and none of them said a word.

But Sean eventually broke the silence.

"Connie's a virgin and Nick likes The Lion King!" he squeaked.

* * *

_OK, so I know that I don't update that often, but keep in mind that I am still in high school and so I am pretty busy most of the time._

_So cut me a little slack, okey dokey?_

_And the song stanza at the beginning is an exerpt from "Everybody's Got A Story" by Amanda Marshall._

_ REVIEW!!!!!!!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	15. Stick With Me, Kid

_Disclaimer : The original Breakfast Club isn't mine, and I cry about it all the time, hey this is almost a rhyme...!_

_Author's Notes : OK,it's finally that time for our young heroes...that's right, people, LUNCH TIME! But when the group gets a little seperated, what will happen?  
I refuse to use the word "hijinks" cuz although it's an entertaining word, it's also a little corny._

Chapter 15 : Stick With Me, Kid...

"EVERYBODY BACK IN THEIR SEATS, DOWN HERE, NOW!" Mr. Vernon hollered.

Connie, Daf, Sean and Kyle all scrambled to their feet and bolted down the stairs to the ground floor of the library.

Nick, however, sauntered calmly down the stairs behind the rest of them.

"He's fearless!" Connie whispered to Kyle, as they all waited for Nick at the bottom of the stairs.

"Nah, he's just Nick," Kyle replied.

"Harrison!" Vernon barked. "C'mon, get your ass in gear!"

Suddenly, Nick stopped and stared at their principal.

"Which gear, sir?" he asked. "First, second, or third?"

"What do you care?" Kyle asked,"you've never driven a stick in your life!"

Nick smirked.

"Well, I guess that all depends on your definition of - "

"HARRISON, NOW!"

So Nick gave the older man a small salute of obedience and finished his descent down the stairs.

"Alright," said Vernon,"now Harrison and Bender, come with me, the rest of you, glue your asses to your chairs and don't move."

"_Glue_ them?" Daf asked. "But these jeans are brand new!"

Sean groaned and Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Just SIT DOWN, Miss Pearson!" Vernon ordered, he then pointed at Connie and Nick."and you two, come with me, now!"

"We're being punished just because I don't have sex and because Nick watches old school Disney movies?" Connie asked.

"What?" Vernon asked.

"Yeah, I don't think that's it, Connie," Nick muttered.

"And it shouldn't be either!" said Connie, walking out of the room, Nick following close behind. "I mean, hell, I should be admired...!"

"Just shut up and go sit in my office!" Vernon barked, standing in the doorway of the library, he then turned back toward the remaining three, who were now sitting back at their respective desks.

"And you three..." he growled,"I don't wanna hear one peep coming from this room or I swear to God, skulls will be cracked!"

"You got it, sir," said Kyle.

Vernon glared at him and Kyle put a hand over his mouth.

"Oh, sorry, does that count as a peep?" he asked.

Vernon said nothing, he just turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

He then went across the hall to his office, where Nick and Connie already were, Connie sitting in one of the chairs in front of Vernon's desk, and Nick sitting in the chair behind Vernon's desk.

"Not that chair, Harrison, THIS ONE!" Vernon seethed, pointing to the empty chair beside Connie.

"But I look scarier sitting in a spot of authority, don'tcha think?" Nick asked.

Connie nodded. "He looks downright frightening to me, sir."

"You can't scare me, Harrison, because it's my job to scare _you_, _now get out of my chair_!" Vernon roared.

Nick shrugged and complied to the older man's command, sitting down in the chair beside Connie.

"Uh, sir...?" Connnie spoke up. "If you don't mind me asking, why are Nick and I sitting in here, and the other three are still in the library?"

Vernon arched a bushy, silver eyebrow.

"Well, Miss Bender, you and Mr.Harrison are in here because I just _know_ that whatever the hell it was that I walked in on was most likely the brainchild of the two of you," he replied, sharply.

"Well, y'know what they say sir," said Nick,"you put a boy and a girl in the same room together, and stuff like that is bound to happen!"

"I don't think that's the kind of child he was talking about, Nick," Connie told him.

"Ah, you're just jealous cuz the kid's probably gonna end up lookin' like me."

"Harrison, _shut up_!" Vernon snapped."As I was saying, I know that there have probably been even more shananighans going on then whatever the hell you were all doing on the second floor of the library, and I know that you two were probably the masterminds behind all of it."

"How do you figure that, sir?" Nick asked.

"Because, Harrison," Vernon hissed,"you've been making trouble ever since the day you set foot in this school, and Miss _Bender_ here," he glanced over at Connie"...well,rebellion is in her blood, after all."

"Wow, rebellion, huh?" Nick asked. "Well, forgive me if I sound surprised, sir, it's just that, in Biology class, when Mrs. Thomson taught us about the makeup of blood...well, she mentioned cells and DNA and stuff, but she didn't say one thing about rebellion."

Connie said nothing, her mouth remained shut and her eyes stayed on Vernon.

"Harrison, I have had it up to _here_ with that wise - ass mouth of yours!" Vernon snapped.

Nick suddenly looked puzzled.

"My mouth has an ass?" he asked.

Connie watched as Vernon's eyes turned nearly as red as his face, and the vein in his forehead throbbed, taking on an extremely unhealthy appearance.

"SHUT UP!" he roared, practically jumping up from his chair, coming around the desk to stand in front of Nick and Connie.

"You know what I'm gonna do with the two of you?" he said.

"Does it involve a midevil dungeon and a stretching rack?" Nick asked.

"Only in my sweetest dreams, Harrison," Vernon replied."No, what I am going to do with the two of you, is I am going to put you back to work. Gus isn't here anymore today, so that means that even more work will have to be done on beautifying this school until it gleams."

"But we didn't actually do anything bad!" Connie suddenly protested."I mean, hell, all I did was lend my cellphone out - "

Nick's eyes went wide and he suddenly broke out into a coughing fit.

" - Your _cellphone_?" Vernon cut in, crossing his arms over his chest.

"To order the pizza!" Nick answered. "Seeing as it _is_ close to lunchtime sir, and we growing adolescents need proper nourishment."

"Ah yes, lunchtime..." Mr. Vernon grumbled,"well,cancel that pizza and go get your own lunches instead,that you brought from home. You two will be eating in here."

"Well, sir," said Connie,"would it actually be alright if Nick and I just shared _his_ lunch...?"

"Forget it!" said Nick. "My Fritos are my Fritos!"

"But my mother made my lunch!" Connie explained. "And if I didn't know she loved me so much, by the taste of her homecooked meals, I'd think she was tryin'to kill me!"

"Well, suck it up and choke it down!" Vernon ordered.

Nick and Connie both paused for a moment, gazing up at their principal.

"Wow,"said Nick,"that sure sounds kinda...unpleasant,slash graphic."

Vernon just pointed at his office door.

"I will escort the two of you back to the library," he told them,"you will grab your lunches, without ANY dawdling, and you will come back here and eat, then I will put you two work...do you understand me?"

"Parlez - vous francais?"

"HARRISON!"

* * *

When Mr. Vernon escorted Nick and Connie back to the library, he opened the door to reveal Sean, sleeping with his head on his desk, Kyle, once again reading a National Geographic and chuckling to himself, and Daf, talking to one of her friends on her cellphone.

Mr. Vernon walked into the room and walked over to Daf, snatching the cellphone out of her hand and snapping it shut.

"I'll take that, Miss Pearson," he said, pocketing the phone.

"But isn't she allowed one three - minute phone call?" Kyle asked, still flipping through his magazine."I mean, that's _usually_ how it works when somebody gets arrested!"

"You, shut up," Mr. Vernon growled, then he walked over to Sean's sleeping form. "And you...wake up!"

But Sean didn't budge, and didn't open his eyes.

"Why don't you try calling his cellphone, sir? It's on vibrate," Daf told him.

"Wow, dirty underhanded - ness doesn't look that bad on you, y'know," said Kyle.

Daf smirked.

"It's all because of me, my underhanded and mischevious tendencies rub off on every person within my age group that I come in contact with," said Nick.

"What about people outside of your age group?" Daf asked.

"Oh, the older ones just get an excuse...or three, to yell at me," Nick replied,"so,everybody has some fun."

"You're very full of yourself, have I ever told you that?" Connie asked.

"I am aware that I am indeed, up to my neck in me," Nick replied.

"His head's filling up nicely, too, seeing as there's plenty of vacant room up there," Kyle muttered.

"Lick some onions!"

"Chomp on a pickle!"

"Is it lunchtime?" Sean asked,suddenly lifting his head off the desk.

"Yes, Mr. Dawson, it is," said Vernon. "And the only reason I brought Mr.Harrison and Miss Bender back here is so they can quickly retrieve their lunches and come back to my office to eat," he then glared at Nick,"and I _believe_ I mentioned no dawdling."

"I wasn't the one who started the dawdling!" Nick protested. "Blame Kyle, he was the one who started the dawdling!"

"I wasn't aware of the rules that had been previously set down outside of the library,because I wasn't there! I was in here, like I was _supposed_ to be, because here is where I was _told_ to stay, so really I was only innocently making conversation!" Kyle explained.

"Have you ever considered being a lawyer?" Connie asked him. "Cuz you're very good at the arguing and the babbling with the big words."

"Nah, I'm too pure - of - heart to be a lawyer, we decided that would be Nick's profession," Kyle explained.

"I've been told I could do very well in that profession," Nick added.

"It's true," Kyle agreed,"he was told by his mother, his grandmother, myself, the telemarketers, the mailman, Mrs Mackenzie, the English teacher, Mr. Gilmore, the Science teacher, all of his dates, Nick's dates, not Mr.Gimore's - "

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Vernon roared.

So Kyle didn't say another word, but he noticed Daf watching him, and knowing that she'd enjoyed the show, he winked at her.

She bit her lip and quickly turned back around in her seat, then took her lunch bag out from underneath her desk and placed it in front of her.

* * *

When Nick, Connie and Mr. Vernon came back into his office, Nick and Connie plopped down in their chairs and Mr. Vernon went to sit back in his seat behind his desk.

"OK," said Vernon,"eat up."

"First, I wanna see what Connie's got," said Nick,"cuz if it's as bad as she's letting on, well, first I'll feel sorry for her, and then I'll probably laugh, and if I laugh with sandwich meat in my mouth, I'll choke."

"So nice to know you've got my back, Nick," Connie told him.

Nick just shrugged, and smirked in reply.

Connie then stared down at her own paper bag and grimaced.

She then turned to Nick.

"You sure you can't share?" she asked.

Nick rolled his eyes.

"I told you Bender," he said,"my Fritos, are _my_ Fritos."

"So, I won't take the Fritos!" she promised. "I'll just have something else, like an apple or a granola bar or something!"

"Bender, just eat your own damn lunch!" Mr. Vernon barked.

"Sorry, Connie," said Nick,"but you won't find apples or granola bars or anything of any real nutritional value in my lunch."

"Why not?" Connie asked.

"Cuz I make my own lunch," he told her.

Despite herself, Connie smiled.

"C'mon, Bender, it can't be that bad," Nick told her "...can it?"

In response, Connie looked down at the brown paper bag in her lap, and let out a small, terrified squeak.

Nick groaned and snatched the lunch bag out of her lap, he then opened it and raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

* * *

"So," said Kyle,"what did you get?"

In the seat beside him, Sean shrugged and started pulling items out of his lunch bag.

"...Apple pie?" Kyle observed, staring at all the food the other boy was laying out in front of him. "Dude, you get apple pie?"

"His mother likes to spoil him," Daf told him, from her desk across the aisle.

"She does not spoil me!" Sean argued.

"Oh, but she does," said Daf,"she really, really does."

Sean rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Kyle.

"So, what did you get?" he asked.

Kyle looked into his lunch bag and smirked.

"Same as always," he said,as he started pulling the food out the brown paper bag.

"...Apple juice, an orange, bread, sugar, and Frosted Flakes."

"Ye gads," Daf muttered, grimacing.

"Does your mother...hate you?" Sean asked.

Kyle grinned as he put a handful of Frosted Flakes onto a piece of bread, then put another piece of bread on top.

"Nah," he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich,"she's just a little nuts."

* * *

"...A sandwich, looks like corn - beef to me, an apple, ooh, an ice pack, that must be there to keep the soda cold..." Nick observed,looking in Connie's lunch bag.

"What? That can't be right!" said Connie, snatching the bag away from him and looking through it.

"This is what you call a scary lunch, huh?" Nick asked.

"No, not at all! It's just,for my lunch, my mom always tries out some new recipe of hers, which usually means I have to land up eating lasagna that tastes like dog shit - "

"Watch your mouth, Bender!" Vernon barked.

" - Or some kinda three bean salad that _smells_ like dog shit - "

"BENDER!"

"Sorry, sir," Connie mumbled, continuing to look through her lunch bag. Nick had been right, there was a corn - beef sanwich in a plastic Ziploc bag, an apple, a tin of Coke(that was being kept cold, thanks to the ice pack),some chocolate chip cookies wrapped in cellophane...and what looked like a small note.

Still dumbfounded, Connie took the note out and read it.

_Dear Connie_,  
_You didn't really think I_ _was gonna let my own child go to_ _Saturday detention with lasagna that tastes like dog crap, did ya?_ _I just told your mother that i would make your lunch, in honor of this special occasion.  
After all, we Benders have to boast our supremacy_, _otherwise, we wouldn't be Benders, and_ _there'd also be no point in having supremacy.Anyway,say hi to Vernon for me. Love,_  
_ Dad_

Connie grinned, and put the note back in her lunch bag.

"My dad says 'hi'," she told Vernon.

Mr. Vernon scowled and Nick burst out laughing.

"OK, it's settled," said Nick,"I _have_ to meet this guy."

"You should," said Connie, grinning to herself. "You really should."

"Oh, that's _exactly_ what should happen," muttered Vernon "...John Bender and Nick Harrison comparing notes on how to piss me off!"

"Oh, don't worry, sir," said Nick,"I like to piss everybody off, not just you. Personally, I don't believe in favoritism."

"Why do I believe that?" Connie muttered.

Nick smirked.

"OK..." he muttered, starting to look through his own lunch bag,"let's see what what I gave myself, here...HA HA, MY FRITOS! Hello, Mr. Frito, how are you today...?"

"Harrison, didn't your mother ever teach you _any_ sort of manners at all?" Vernon growled, as he sipped his coffee."Like, _not playing with your food_?"

"Who's playing? I'm having a serious conversation here!" Nick insisted,gesturing to the chip he was holding.

"I wonder if his bedroom has padded walls, too," Connie mumbled.

"What did you say?" Nick asked.

"...Hmm? Me? Nothin'," she replied.

Suddenly, Vernon got up out of his chair.

"I have to go to the bathroom," he said.

"Putting that in memo form would've been just fine, sir," Nick told him.

"Harrison, can it!" Vernon snapped. "Now, I will be back in _five minutes_, and in those five minutes...you will have done nothing. You will not have said one word to eachother, you will not have gotten out of these chairs, and you will not have left this room, becuase if i found out that you have...the outcome will _not be pleasant_!"

With that, Vernon walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Connie then turned to Nick." '...Not be pleasant'?" she repeated.

"He's obviously running out of threats," said Nick."He gets that way around me."

Then Nick got up and walked behind Vernon's desk, then he looked over at Connie with a mischevious glint in his eye.

"Now, what do you say...we have a little fun?" he suggested.

"What kind of fun?" Connie asked.

" Looking - through - Vernon's - desk - kind - of - fun," Nick answered.

"But we can't do that!" Connie told him, as she got up and walked over him, behind the desk."Vernon said he'd be back in five minutes, that doesn't give us much time, now does it?"

Nick smirked."Oh, trust me," he said,"Vernon'll be a lot longer than five minutes."

"How do you know?" Connie asked.

Nick then pointed to the half - empty coffee cup on Vernon's desk.

"Cuz before detention started this morning, I snuck in here and slipped Ex - Lax into his coffee," he replied.

* * *

Sean,who was now bouncing his baseball up and down on the carpeted floor, unsuccessfully, walked over to Kyle, who was drawing something on his desk.

"That's called vandalism, y'know," Sean told him.

Kyle looked up at him and then watched as the baseball bounced pitifully on the carpeted floor.

"The reason your baseball isn't bouncing very well is because you're attempting to bounce it on a carpeted floor," he said "...that's called stupidity, y'know."

Sean glared at him for a moment, and then gazed at the desk.

"What're you drawing, anyway?" he asked.

"Well, there's no porn in this library, believe me, Nick and I have looked," said Kyle, still scratching his pen across the wood,"so I'm just going from memory."

Daf rolled her eyes, disgusted.

"So, what happened to your breakfast cereal - sandwich?" Sean asked.

"I ate it," Kyle replied, still drawing. "It was _grrreat_!"

Daf smirked.

"You're a strange individual, y'know - " Sean started.

" - Look, is there something you want, Your High - And - Mightiness?" Kyle asked.

Sean didn't say anything at first, he just took a chair from the desk in front of Kyle, brought it over to the side of his desk, and sat down on it, backwards.

"You've been here a few times, haven't you?" he asked.

Kyle stared at him.

"Yes...I have," he replied, slowly."I do go to this school, after all. What special school do _you_ go to?"

"I meant saturday detention, moron!" Sean snapped."With a friend like Nick, I assume you've been here more than a few times, am I right?"

Kyle shrugged.

"I don't have much to do on saturdays, anyway," he replied.

"Don't you hang out with Nick?" Saf asked.

"Nick's always _here_!" Kyle replied.

"So you've definitely been here more than once?" Sean asked, wanting to make sure.

"Where Nick goes, he drags me along with him, now _what do you want_, Jocko?" Kyle asked.

"Simple," said Sean. "I wanna get outta here, and you're gonna help me."

* * *

_OOOOH, so much mischief!_

_And yes, I know it's taken me a while to post this, I don't need reminding, you guys, I go as fast as I can._

_But I'm going to England in two weeks for Spring break, so I've been busy trying to get myself together for that...as well as catching up on homework and stuff._

_So PLEEEEASE, do 3 things for me..._

_1) Be patient_

_2) Know that I do love you_

_3) And review!_

_Muchos gracias._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	16. CB Combo

_Disclaimer (A Note To John Hughes): Original masterpiece not mine, you no sue, please._

_Author's Notes: Yes, there is a little bit of romance in this chapter,I couldn't hold it in any longer! And there, of course, will be more to come._

Chapter Sixteen : C/B Combo

"You put _Ex - Lax_ in his coffee?" Connie asked, as she watched Nick rifle through the desk drawers.

"Yeah...was that wrong?" he asked.

Connie arched an eyebrow.

"Look, I just figured, I'm already in detention, so, what the hell...?" he said. Nick then crouched down and tried to open the very bottom drawer.

"...Hey, this one's locked..." he muttered.

"But this'll just get you another detention," Connie pointed out, ignoring his comment.

Nick shrugged.

"Nothin' else better to do with my saturday," he said "...besides, Vernon has no way of knowing it was me."

"Sneaking into his office and putting Ex - Lax in his coffee...who else would he suspect, Nick?" Connie pointed out.

Nick smirked.

"It does show signs of my personal genius, doesn't it?" he said.

"You say 'personal genius', the rest of us say 'twisted mind'," Connie told him.

"Whatever you say, doll..." Nick muttered.

"And what does that mean?" Connie asked.

With a small smile, Nick stopped jimmying the lock on the drawer, and stood up.

"You're saying you haven't been the least bit impressed by anything I've done today?" he asked.

Connie frowned.

"So that's why you do all this...?" she asked. "You're just trying to impress people?"

"Not quite," Nick replied.

"...Then what?" Connie asked.

"You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"Nick..."

"Just get me a damn bobbi pin, will ya?" Nick requested,trying to force the drawer open.

* * *

"...Run that by me again?" Kyle requested. 

Sean arched an eyebrow.

"I want to get outta here," he said,"and you're gonna tell me how to do it."

Kyle stared at him for a moment, then he tipped his head back and laughed out loud.

"Oh God, you are stupid," he said, laughing "...you are so stupid..."

"For the record, I already knew that," said Daf.

"Shut up!" Sean snapped at her, then he turned back to Kyle. "Now, what's so funny,moron?"

Kyle finally stopped laughing and looked him in the eye, but after a few seconds, he started to laugh again.

"You actually think...that I would be here right now, if I knew how to get outta here?" he asked.

"He's got a point," said Daf,"that does make you pretty stupid."

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up?" Sean barked.

"Yeah, ya did," Daf told him," but I never actually said I would, so...bite me."

"Ooh," said Kyle, glancing back at Sean "...you been told."

"SHUT UP!" Sean roared.

"Wow,"said Kyle, glancing back at Daf "...that's like his favorite word, isn't it?"

"I think so," Daf replied,"it's either that, or 'hooters'."

"Huh, I prefer 'badonkadonk' myself..."

"Oh my God!" Sean snapped. "is everybody here a freakin' idiot?"

"No, just you," Daf told him.

Kyle smirked at her.

"...And she's spunky,too...!" he mumbled.

"What?" Sean asked.

"What?" Kyle replied.

"What did you just say?" Sean demanded.

"What do you..._think_ I just said?" Kyle asked.

Sean paused for a moment, confused.

"...You're an idiot, Anderson!"he finally said.

"Wrong!" Kyle exclaimed. "I think too much of myself to say that about myself!"

Sean paused again, even more confused.

"_What_?" he asked.

Kyle laughed again.

"I don't know," he said "..I just love messin with ya, man."

Daf tipped her head back and laughed.

* * *

"I can't believe you don't have a bobbi pin!" said Nick. 

"Well, why the hell would I have one?" Connie asked.

"Cuz you're a girl!" he said.

"So...?"

"SO...don't most girls carry around bobbi pins and lip gloss and wallet - sized photos of Orlando Bloom?" Nick asked, looking around the office for something that would open the locked drawer.

"If they have a _purse_, I suppose...!" said Connie,"But did you ever see me with a purse today, Nick?"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"I guess not...please forgive my wrongful judgment," he said, in a sarcastic, monotone voice.

"I will," Connie told him "...just not yet."

Nick smirked, and Connie started to move toward the door.

"Whoa, hey, where ya goin'?" Nick asked.

Connie raised an eyebrow.

"Did you not notice how full Daf's purse is?" Connie asked,"chances are, if anyone's got a bobbi pin, it's her, now come on."

With that, she opened the door and started out into the hallway,Nick about to follow behind her, but then she stopped, and turned around to face him.

"Oh, and FYI," she said,"in case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not 'most girls'."

"Don't I know it," said Nick.

Connie gave him an unreadable look,almost like she was wanting to say something to him, but then she quickly turned around and headed out into the hallway.

Nick followed close behind her, but just before she opened the door to the library, he put his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around.

"You really aren't 'most girls'," he said,"but you are, actually, my favorite kind of girl."

Connie smirked.

"Well, now you're just flirting with me," she said.

Nick smiled.

"Maybe," he said, as he looked into her eyes.

_Wow, he's really close_, thought Connie.

And was it her imagination, or was he getting closer...?

_He's really really_ -

" - So what kind of girl am I, then?" Connie asked, breaking whatever kind of moment they had just been experiencing.

Nick gave her a puzzled look.

"What?" he asked.

Connie cleared her throat. "Well, you said you knew what kind of girl I was, and that it was your favorite kind, so...what kind of girl am I?" she asked.

Nick smirked.

"You, he said,"are what's known as a C/B Combo."

* * *

"...A _what_?" Daf asked, completely puzzled. 

Kyle smirked, and bit down on his bottom lip...which Daf found extremely sexy, but she would never admit that.

"A C/B Combo, that's what Nick calls it," he told her. "It's like, his favorite type of girl."

"Well, I'm glad im in favor with him," she said, sarcastically."But who says I wanna fit into a 'type',anyway?"

Kyle then gave her a look of confusion, and chuckled a little.

"Just what is so funny?" Daf asked.

Kyle shook his head, and smiled.

"So, you're popular, and yet, you don't wanna fit into a 'type'... how does that work, exactly?" he asked.

Daf pondered the question, then, getting frustrated, she glared at him.

"Just tell me what a C/B Combo is, Kyle," she said.

Kyle smirked and leaned forward in his chair.

"C/B ...means Crazy /Beautiful Combo," he told her,"and surprisingly enough, you, Daf Pearson, fit that bill."

Daf opened her mouth to respond, but just then, the library door opened and Nick and Connie walked in.

"Hi!" they greeted, walking over to the desks.

"Hi..." Kyle and Daf returned, confused.

"So, Pom - Poms..." said Nick, resting his palms on the top of her desk "...you wouldn't happen to have a bobbi pin, would ya?"

* * *

"I don't see what's so important about getting into a dumb drawer,anyway," said Daf, as she jimmyed the bobbi pin in the small lock.

"It's in Vernon's office,it's locked, that automatically interests me," Nick told her"...hey, y'know, I can probably get it myself if you just wanna - "

"I don't trust anyone with my hair-care products except me, nice try, though," said Daf.

"Ugh, you women are so possesssive,"said Kyle.

"It's better to be possessive than to be possessed, at least, that's what my mom's always told me," said Connie, "...of course, that's before my dad tells her that she IS possessed, and she smacks him upside the head."

"Seems like a lovely woman," said Daf.

"Hey, speaking of possessed - where's Sean?" asked Nick.

"On the second floor of the library trying to get up to the ceiling,trying to pop out one of the ceiling tiles, in hopes that he'll be able to escape the school," Daf replied.

Suddenly,she stopped trying to work the lock, and they all looked at each other.

"...Ya think we should tell him tha he could just walk out?" Kyle suggested,"y'know, since Vernon's still busy crapping in the crapper?"

"Are you kidding?" said daf"...and miss the chance of seeing him get in trouble for damaging school property?"

"...Says the girl who's breaking into the principal's desk with a bobbi pin," Kyle pointed out.

"Hey," Connie suddenly spoke up "...why don't _we_ just leave?"

"Cuz the drawer's not open yet," Nick told her.

"So?" she asked.

"And plus, we'd just get another detention," said Daf.

"Oh, but ya see, Nick doesn't care about that," said Connie, glancing at Nick and smirking"...isn't that right, Nick?"

"I serve no more time than I absolutely have to," he told her.

"Mm...and you _absolutely had to_ spike an old man's coffee with Ex - Lax?" Kyle asked him.

"Absolutely," Nick replied, with a grin.

Suddenly, they all heard a _click_.

Connie, Nick, and Kyle all looked down at Daf, who smiled, and took the bobbi pin out of the lock.

"I think I got it," she said.

* * *

_Listen, all I need is you _

_Won't you tell me what to do _

_'Cause you drive me crazy _

_Baby, is it pulling on your heart _

_Is it tearing you apart_

_'Cause you drive me crazy _

_'Cause you're crazy beautiful_

* * *

_REVIEW!!!!!!_

_Oh, and the song stanza is from "Crazy Beautiful" by Hanson...which I discovered by searching for Johnny Depp fan vids on youtube._

_I HEART YOU ALL!  
- Ace's Buddy_


	17. Four Are Havin' Fun, One's On The Run

_Disclaimer : It ain't mine, so fuggedabout it...(anyone who's a Johnny Depp fan and hasn't seen "Donnie Brasco"...must.)._

_Author's Notes: Alright, yes, I've been on hiatus, but for good cause! I just finished my last year of high school, and I was spending my time freaking out and studying for exams to make sure that it really IS my last year!But my exams ended a few weeks ago,and my sister, my mom and I left directly afterward to spend the weekend shopping in the States (I'm Canadian), and after purchasing a lot of stuff with Johnny Depp's face on it (including 21 JUMP STREET : Season 1!!!) since then, I've been a little preocccupied with other stuff while trying to write this chapter (including starting another story),so I know this chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be a lot better, I promise._

Now, where were we?

Ah, yes...

Chapter Seventeen: Four Are Havin' Fun, One's On The Run

Connie, Nick, and Kyle all looked down at Daf, who smiled, and took the bobbi pin out of the lock.

"I think I got it," she said.

"Alright then, 'scuse me..." said Nick, as he squatted in front of the drawer and nudged Daf out of the way."Let's just see what old man Vernon's got locked away in his secret little hiding place..."

"Wait," said Daf, putting a hand on Nick's arm."Are we sure we wanna know what's in there? I mean, if he's got the drawer locked, then he might not want people to see it for a reason."

"Meaning...?" asked Kyle.

"I dunno, there could be somethin' sick in there," Daf suggested.

"Like Playboys that he confiscated?" Connie suggested.

Nick and Kyle glanced at each other.

"Nick, open the damn drawer," said Kyle.

"Yes, sir!" Nick replied, smirking.

"But what if he didn't confiscate them?" Daf asked.

Just as he was starting to pull the drawer open, Nick stopped.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"Well..." Daf began, looking uneasy. "What if they're...y'know...his?"

An uneasy silence suddenly came over them as they all glanced at each other, then grimaced.

"Ewwww...!" they chorused.

* * *

The ceiling tile fell to the floor, and Sean smiled.

Climbing the rest of the way up the book case, Sean suddenly looked down at the first floor of the library.

He knew that the other four had left, he had heard them planning to open the drawer in Vernon's desk, he also thought it was a pretty pathetic idea.

_For a so - called rebel, Harrison sure gets kicks outta really lame stuff_, Sean thought. _Here I am, hanging onto a book shelf, making a hole in the ceeiling, trying to get outta this place, and he wants to open a locked drawer!_

Still, it woulda been nice if they would've at least asked him if he wanted to come...

_Ah, who needs their shit, anyway?_ he thought, as he climbed up into the hollow space. _Nick's the friggin' God Of Detention for making Vernon's life a living hell...although, I guess his methods are pretty interesting...Connie's worshipped because her old man used to make Vernon's life a living hell, Daf's just a bitch who THINKS she should be worshipped, thereby making MY life a living hell...and Kyle's just a dweeb._

..._Actually, it's a wonder that I'm the only one around here who seems to have his priorities straight_, he thought..._the first one being, getting the hell outta this dump._

"...Or whorehouse, as long as Daf's in here," he grumbled to himself, as he crawled forward, on his knees and elbows.

The air vent suddenly split off into two directions, and Sean looked from left to right.

"Oy vey..." he muttered, looking from left to right."Decisions,decisions...OK, OK...eeny meeny miney mo, catch a nerdo by his toe, if he hollers, tell him no, eeny meeny miney mo."

His gaze had landed on the left side. So Sean shrugged to himself (as much as he could in the tiny, limited space), and headed to the left.

* * *

"OK...so what've we got?" Connie asked, as Nick looked through the drawer.

"Well...we were wrong about the Playboy..." Nick told them.

"Oh, thank God!" Daf muttered.

"...Cuz it looks like Vernon's strictly a Penthouse man," he finished.

"...So, what does that mean, he's looking for a house or something?" Daf asked.

The other three all stared at her, then Nick handed her the magazine.

"Oh, eww!"Daf squealed.

"Wow..." said Kyle, looking through the drawer "...he's got a whole stack of 'em in here!"

Nick took another one out and flipped through it.

"Huh..." he muttered. "I don't think I have this issue..."

He slipped the magazine into his jacket, but then noticed the other three staring at him.

"Oh, come on!" he said. "Trust me, Vernon's got enough ammo in here to feel sexually stable for at least the next six months!"

"Ok, one: I can't believe you called it 'ammo'," Connie began,"and two, I also can't believe you put the words 'Vernon' and 'sexually stimulated' in the same sentence."

"Yeah well, this is only assuming that Vernon recovers from that Ex - lax, eventually," said Kyle "...geez man, how much did you give him?"

"Trust me, at his age, it doesn't take much," Nick replied, with a grin.

"OK, can we please stop talking about Vernon's erectile dysfunction...?!" Daf pleaded.

"Well, we weren't actually calling it 'eretcile dysfunction'," said Kyle.

"Yeah, that's just gross!" Nick added, smirking, then he frowned.

"What is it?" Connie asked.

Nick, who had been feeling around the bottom of the drawer for any other magazines, photos, or other bits of entertainment, turned and looked inside the drawer.

"...This drawer has a false bottom," he said.

"A false bottom?" Daf asked.

"Yeah, y'know, a bottom that's false?" Nick asked, sarcastically.

"Well, what's down there?" Kyle asked.

Nick lifted up the small wooden board, not taking it out of the drawer, and peered into the secret compartment, then he reached in, and pulled out a mysterious object.

"...Huh," he muttered.

* * *

_DUNH DUNH DUUUUUUUNH!!!!_

_Stay tuned!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	18. In Every War, There Are Casualties

_Disclaimer: Me no own the original Breakfast Club, okey dokey?_

Chapter 18: In Every War,There Are Casualties

"...And envelope? What's so special about an envelope, that he would hide it in a secret compartment?" Daf asked.

"Well, obviously there's something in it," Kyle told her, then he glanced down at Nick "...there is something in it, right?"

"There appears to be, yes," Nick answered, holding the envelope up to the light and peering at it.

"Well, is it labeled?" Connie asked.

Nick turned the envelope over to look at the front. "It just says 'Mr. vernon', in pencil...it looks kinda faded," he said.

"I wonder how old it is?" Daf asked.

"I wonder why he keeps it here?" Kyle asked.

"I wonder why we haven't opened it yet, which seems like the simplest way to answer all our questions?" Connie asked.

"Have patience, little grasshopper," Nick muttered."There's no rush."

Just then, they heard a muffled grunt coming from outside, in the hallway.

" - There appears to be now!" said Kyle.

"Shh!" said Nick,standing up."Just stay here and keep quiet!"

With that, he tiptoed quietly over to the office door.

"But what if it's -"

"Daf, _shut up_!" Kyle muttered,through gritted teeth, putting his hand over her mouth.

Slipping the envelope inside his jacket, Nick slowly and quietly opened the door a little.

In that small, half inch of space, Nick could see Mr. Vernon holding his stomach and groaning, then he bent over and continued groaning, and then, still bent over, he turned around and hurried back in the bathroom.

When Nick heard the bathroom door shut, he opened the door wider and beckoned to the other three, waving them out into the hallway.

"Go, go!" he said, in a harsh whisper.

Kyle prodded Daf to go first, so, quickly, but not without hesitation, Daf hurried out of the office, and went across the hall and back into the library.

Kyle followed right behind her, and Connie followed him, but not without casting a sideways glance at Nick, as she passed him at the door.

After Connie shut the door to the library, Nick stepped out of the principal's office, and was about to close the door behind him...when he heard the bathroom door open.

"Harrison, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Vernon asked.

Freezing on the spot, Nick plastered an uneasy smile onto his face, and slowly turned to face his principal.

"heh heh...how ya doin'?" he said.

But Vernon just glared at him.

"I'm gonna ask you again, Harrison," said Vernon, walking toward him,"what the hell were you - "

But the end of his question was cut off by a deafening crash, and dust from a small amount of flying debris, as Sean Dawson fell through the ceiling and landed on the cold tile floor, just a few feet in front of them.

"...Ow," he muttered, his cheek practically flattened against the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL - ?"

"Awesome entrance, Sporty Spice! Very impressive!"

On the other side of the library door, Daf, Connie, and Kyle were all trying to overhear what was happening, with their ears pressed against the door.

"What was that?" Daf asked.

"D'you think Vernon hit him with something?" Kyle asked.

"I think I just heard Sean, did anyone else hear Sean?" Connie asked.

Back in the hallway, Nick went over to help Sean up off the floor.

"Aaaaaagh!" Sean whined, as Nick hauled him up with one hand on his forearm, and one on his shoulder.

"Well, would ya look at you," said Nick, who couldn't help but grin,"first ya get beat up by a girl, then ya get beat up by the ceiling, and finished off by the floor!"

"I think the floor actually beat me up more than the ceiling did," Sean remarked, wincing in pain "...ow, ow! Easy on the shoulder!"

"Dawson," Vernon began, walking over to the boys, stepping over the small amounts of debris,"what the hell were you doing in the ceiling?"

"Uh...checking for esphestus?" Sean offered, then he frowned and glanced at Nick."Wait, can esphestus grow in the ceiling?"

Nick frowned.

"I don't know, actually," he said.

"Enough!" Vernon shouted, so loud that the other three teenagers jumped back from the library door, startled.

"You two, get back in the library!" Vernon ordered, pointing to the library door.

Hearing this,Connie, Kyle, and Daf all rushed away from the door and scrambled back into their seats.

"But sir, he needs medical attention," Nick told the principal, referring to Sean.

"We'll get him an icepack, he'll be fine," said Vernon.

"Well, y'know, sir, I hate to bring this up, but...he could be able to sue you," Nick told him.

Sean's face brightened a little.

"He's gonna sue me?" Vernon asked "...all because he was stupid enough to try to crawl through the ceiling? Trying to find a way out, I bet, huh?" Vernon asked. turning to Sean. "And may I inquire as to how you were gonna do that from inside the ceiling?"

"Well, I had a feeling I was gonna fall through or something," Sean admitted, "I was just hoping that when I crashed through the ceiling, I would land somewhere near the front entrance."

Nick snorted."Amateur," he mumbled.

"What was that, Harrison?" Vernon snapped.

"Sir! Absolutely nothing, Sir!" Nick replied.

Their principal glared at the two of them.

"Alright, get back in there!" Vernon barked, gesturing behind them, to the library.

So the boys turned around and Nick opened the door for Sean, who was still holding his shoulder, and the two of them entered the library.

As they made their way back to their desks,Vernon called after them.

"You little pricks sit still for a while and we'll see if I can find an icepack," he said, then he seemed to reconsider this. "Or. y'know what...? Maybe we'll wait a little while before gettin' that ice pack. If you're stupid enough to pull a stunt like that, Mr. Dawson, you should be willing to handle the consequences."

With one last malicious smirk, Vernon slammed the door behind him, leaving the five teens alone, once again.

"That man is pure evil," Daf grumbled.

"Yup, we may be the only ones who know that the Devil really wears tweed," said Kyle.

"Well, Prada is so last season," Connie added.

"Can we concentrate less on his wardrobe and more on my pain, please?" Sean whined.

"Well, it's not our fault you were stupid enough to try to climb through an air duct, ya moron!" Daf snapped.

"Oh shut up, you stupid little - "

"WHOA! PEOPLE!" Nick spoke up, raising his hands to silence them."Bickering will not help the situation!"

Daf and Sean just turned away from each other, grumbling under their breath.

"How can the situation be helped, at all?" Connie asked. "You heard the the old man,Vernon's not gonna let him go to the hospital, so what other options do we have?"

"Well, to my knowledge, there is at least...one," Nick answered.

Kyle suddenly looked up at Nick,and his eyes widened.

"Ohhhh no...!" he said. "We...we can't do that man, that's just - !"

"But it'll work!" Nick insisted.

"But it's - "

" - _It'll work_!" Nick repeated, "now, who's got an icepack left over from their lunch?"

The other four took their lunch bags out and looked inside them, Daf finally held up a small, dark blue ice pack.

"OKey dokey, thank you," said Nick, as he took the ice pack from her."Now, who has something Sean can stuff in his mouth?"

"Stuff in his mouth?" Connie asked.

"Stuff in my mouth?" Sean repeated.

"Is there an _echo_ in the room?" Nick asked, looking around. "Yes, we need something for you to stuff in your mouth...preferably, something edible."

With a sigh, Kyle pulled a small, wrapped salami from his lunch bag and handed it to Nick.

The other four stared at Kyle, puzzled.

"What?" he asked, looking around at them. "I told ya she was a bit nuts, didn't I?"

"Alright, Kyle, Sean come with me," said Nick, walking to the front of the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Connie asked.

Nick smirked.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not leavin'...ya don't have to miss me," he told her.

Connie just rolled her eyes, and Nick, Sean, and Kyle walked to the wall just to the right of the library door.

"OK, Kyle, unwrap the salami..." Nick began.

"Oh, ew," Connie muttered.

"What?" Daf asked "...oh, ew! I just got that!"

"Get your mind outta the friggin' gutter, ya pervs!" said Nick, then he turned back to Kyle, who had just finished taking the plastic off of the salami.

"Ok, Seanny - boy, take the salami..."

"I don't see how this is gonna help me..." said Sean.

Nick quirked an eyebrow.

"Ya wanna be in pain for the rest of the day, or ya wanna trust me with this?" he asked.

Sean frowned, and looked past Nick, at Kyle.

"Was that a trick question?" he asked him.

"Take the salami, Sean," Nick ordered, before Kyle could reply.

So Sean, reluctantly, took the salami, and Nick handed Kyle the icepack.

"OK, now, have you ever seen any of the Lethal Weapon movies?" he asked Sean.

"Ah, boy..." Kyle muttered.

"Uh, yeah..." Sean replied, looking uneasy.

"I don't think I can watch this," Daf whined, putting her hand over her eyes.

"Fine, then keep your eyes closed and I'll tell ya if he survives," Connie told her.

"You're all heart, Bender..."

"Pay attention to the medic, Sean, otherwise you're gonna be throbbing for the rest of the day," Connie told him.

Nick and Kyle looked at each other and tried to contain their laughter.

"Wait...that came out wrong...!" said Connie.

"I'll say..." Daf muttered.

"Ok, anyway, back to the matter at hand - " Nick began.

Kyle chuckled.

"...Hand...!"

"KYLE!"

"Right, sorry! Continue!" said Kyle.

"Alrighty then," said Nick. "Now Sean, you remmeber in Lethal Weapon 2 and Lethal Weapon 3, how, when Mel Gibson popped out hi shoulder, he had to kinda...set it back in?"

Sean's eyes widened.

"OHHHH NO! No no no no no no no - !"

"Dude, it's the only way...!" Nick insisted.

Sean looked over at Kyle, and Kyle nodded.

So, with a whimper, Sean put his left hand on the wall, the small movement causing his shoulder to ache even more.

"Alright, now Kyle, be ready with the ice pack..." Nick instructed, walking around the Sean's other side, putting a hand gently on his shoulder.

"What're they gonna do?" Daf asked.

"Close your eyes, and cover your ears," Connie told her.

"What? Why -?"

"Just _do it_!"

"Alright, now Sean, put the salami in your mouth...good now, on the count of three,we're gonna turn your arm to the right, hard, OK...? Now, one, _two..._THREE - !"

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWOWOWOWOW...!"

* * *

_Yes, poor Sean._

_Oh, and those of you who haven't seen the Lethal Weapon movies, I recommend them._

_And in the next chapter (which should be up within the next week, I promise!) we'll find out what's in that envelope..._

_LOVE YA!!!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	19. You Could Write It In A Letter

_Disclaimer: The Newbies are mine, the Oldies from the Eighties belong to John Hughes._

_Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to SilverRain 1.3 and MarsLover...who both got it right._

Chapter Nineteen: You Could Write It In A Letter...

Daf clapped her hands over her ears even harder to block out Sean's screaming.

"Nick, are you sure you're not killing him?" Connie asked.

"Look, sometimes, if you wanna heal, you have to suffer for it first!" Nick insisted.

Kyle offered Sean the icepack, and Sean practically ripped it out of his hand, and pressed it against his shoulder.

The boys then went back over to the desks, where Connie and Daf were sitting.

"I don't see how this is so painful for you," Daf told Sean, as he sat down,"you've gotten a lot more horrible injuries from just playing football - "

"Daf, I _fell through the ceiling_!" Sean pointed out."The floor and a linebacker are two very different opponents, who can cause the _same amount_ of injury!"

"Steady there, gladiator...!" Kyle muttered "...ya don't want Vernon to come in here, again."

"Like he would!" Sean scoffed. "The old fart wouldn't even get me an icepack, he doesn't give a shit about anything!"

"Which is just fine, cuz no one gives a shit about him," Connie added "...except for maybe the drug stores he buys his Playboys from...those people have gotta eat, y'know."

"True..." muttered the three boys.

"Yeah, well, enough about Vernon," said Daf "...I'm more interested about what's in Nick's jacket."

Everybody looked at her, puzzled.

"...OK, you really suck at these one - liners," Connie told her,"it's not _jacket_, it's _pants_!"

"You thinkin' about my pants, Connie?" Nick asked, smirking.

"I think the whole idea was that Daf was interested in your pants," Kyle told him.

"What's so interesting about his pants?" Sean asked.

"Nothing!" Connie and Daf both snapped.

"I wasn't talking about his pants, you moron!" Daf snapped at Connie, then turned to Nick, "I wasn't talking about your damn pants, I was talking about your _jacket_! As in, the envelope from Vernon's office that you now have tucked away in your _jacket_!"

"Ohhhh..." said Nick,who then took a white envelope out of his leather jacket "...you mean this ol' thing?"

"You stole from Vernon's office?" Sean asked.

"Well, I was already breaking & entering...figured I might as well do some robbery while I was there," said Nick, with a smirk," after all, I'm in detention, anyway."

"Ya didn't, by chance, get the Playboy too, did ya?" Kyle asked.

"Pig," Daf muttered.

"Bitch," Kyle replied.

"Oh dear God, you stole from Vernon!" Sean hissed.

"I didn't steal it, exactly..." Nick insisted.

"You took it out of his office without his permission...that's what stealing _is...exactly_!" Sean told him.

"Alright, alright, don't get your jock in a bunch, Butch!" Nick exclaimed."So I took it, so what...?"

Daf turned to look at Connie.

"Are you hearing this?" she asked, Connie nodded and Daf turned back to Nick. "..._So what_? So, we've already gotten ourselves in enough trouble today, when ironically, we're supposed to be being punished..._and you go and steal from the frickin' principal_?"

Nick put his finger to his lips. "He'll hear you!" he said.

"He'll KILL you...!" Daf replied.

Nick shrugged. "Well, it's like ya said," he told her, "we're already in trouble...!"

"And some of us would like to keep away from getting into MORE trouble!" Daf snapped.

"Hey, I didn't ask you to break into the old man's desk..."

"YES, YOU DID!"

"No..." Nick pointed a finger at her,"I asked you for a _bobbi pin_ so _I _could break into the old man's desk, but then _you_ inisted that _you _should do it...and _you_ did it!"

"He's kinda got a point there..." Connie muttered to Daf.

"Shut up!" Daf hissed.

"...Oh right cuz nothing's ever your fault, right, Daf?" Sean retorted.

"Oh my God! Get over it, already!" Daf snapped.

"Get over what?" Sean asked.

"...The fact that I found someone better than you to satisfy me!" she replied.

"...And who might that be?...Him?" Sean asked, nodding toward Kyle.

"ME...?" Kyle asked.

"HIM...?"Nick and Connie blurted.

"God, no!" said Daf "...me! I satisfy me now! I don't need you!"

"Oh Lord, so many sex jokes, so little time..." Kyle mumbled, while Nick subtlely backed away from the group and headed over to the librarian's desk.

"Oh _shut up_, you _pig_!"Daf snapped at him.

"Oh, _I'm_ the pig, and your boyfriend over here is the one who - "

"I'm NOT her boyfriend - !"

They were all so busy talking, that none of them noticed Nick opening the envelope with a letter opener and taking out the single piece of paper that was inside it...

" - And I thank God for that every day!"

"Wow, Daf, you never really struck me as the religious type - !"

"Stay _outta_ this, Bender - !"

"...Wow," Nick muttered to himself as he read what was on the page, then he started to chuckle.

"...Wow..."

"...What is it, Nick?" Connie asked, cutting through all the yelling the other four were doing.

Suddenly, they all stopped their fighting and turned to look at Nick.

Nick smirked.

"...This, miss Bender...happens to be a letter."

In a second, they were all over at the librarian's desk, trying to get a peek at the letter.

"What kind of letter?" Daf asked.

"Is it from the superintendant, asking for Vernon's resignation...?" Kyle asked.

"..Maybe it's from his wife, who died years ago in a tragic accident..." Daf suggested.

"...And what, she was sending it from beyond the grave...?" Sean retorted.

"No..." Nick muttered "...it appears to be from some students."

"...What students?" Connie asked, peering over his shoulder.

Nick had a thoughtful look on his face as he answered...

"...The Breakfast Club."

"...Wait, people were allowed to eat in here?" Kyle asked.

"We just ate in here," Daf reminded him.

"Yeah, but we're in detention," Kyle pointed out.

"These guys were in detention, too," Nick told them.

"...Really?" Connie asked.

"...Mm hmm..." Nick mumbled.

They all leaned in a little closer as Nick began to read:

_"...Saturday,March 24, 1984. Shermer High School,  
Shermer, Illinois, 60062 _

_Dear Mr. Vernon,_

_We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong.  
What we did WAS wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are, what do you care? You see us as you want to see us...in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.  
Correct? That's the way we saw each other at seven o'clock this morning.  
We were brainwashed.  
But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete ...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal._

_...Does that answer your question?  
_

_Sincerely yours, _

_the Breakfast Club."_

* * *

And to answer any of you supicious readers out there: no, this is not the last chapter. We are getting closer to the grand finale, but we've still got a few things to figure out...and maybe even a few people to come together :)...before the big finish. 

...SO STAY TUNED!

Sincerely yours (:)),

- Ace's Buddy


	20. Connie Gets The Horns

_Disclaimer: Me no own The Breakfast Club...okey dokey?_

_Author's Notes: Yes, I know I haven't updated in a while, but this is one of those emotional, dramatic chapters that will hopefully make up for that._

Chapter 20: Connie Gets The Horns

_Lookin' at you_

_Holdin' my breath_

_For once in my life_

_I'm scared to death_

* * *

"Wait...what's the date on that, again...?" Connie asked, still looking over Nick's shoulder.

"Uh...March 24, 1984," Nick replied, skimming over the letter.

"What's wrong, Connie?" Daf asked.

"My parents were in detention together in '84..." Connie muttered.

"A lot of people's parents were in detention together in '84...!" Sean pointed out.

"And you know would know this, how...?" Kyle asked him.

"Well, he's a genius, obviously...!" Nick replied, sarcastically.

"I'm just saying that just because the year's the same, it doesn't mean this was written by either of her parents!" Sean told them.

"But that doesn't mean that they weren't there..." Nick pointed out "...a Brain,an Athlete, a Basketcase, A Princess and a Criminal...that's five people, only one of 'em wrote this."

"Hell, the Basketcase might even be my mom, she went to high school with Connie's parents..." Kyle told them.

"What makes you think your mom wasn't the Princess?" Daf asked.

Nick and Kyle glanced at each other, and tried to contain their laughter.

"...You've obviously never met his mother..." said Nick.

"What about your dad, do you think he was one of these people, too?" Daf asked.

Kyle shrugged.

"...I dunno, mom told me that he was a jock in high school, so he might've been the Athlete - "

" - Oh my God...!" Sean exclaimed, exasperated "...why are you people getting your hopes up about this? There's no proof that this was any of your parents!"

"Thank you, Captain Optimistic..." Nick remarked.

Connie took the letter from Nick and walked over to the photocopier.

"I'm still gonna show this to my parents, just in case," she said, as she turned on the photocopier and put the letter inside.

"...What is even the point of this?" Sean asked, turning and heading back to his desk.

"Well, unless you wanna fall through the ceiling again, this is my biggest source of entertainment right now," Nick told him, as he headed back to his own desk.

Once the copy of the letter was printed, Connie took it and the original letter and walked over to her desk to join the rest of them.

Dropping the copy onto her chair, she smiled.

"Do you realize how cool this would be if me and Kyle's parents really were at that detention...?" she asked.

"It would definitely be a bit bizarre..." Nick agreed.

"Yeah, it'd be like "Degrassi: The Next Generation", only it's more like "Shermer High Saturday Detention: The Next Generation"," said Daf.

They all just stared at her.

"...What?" she asked, looking around at the othe other four.

" You just stick to thinkin', Butch, that's what you're good at," Kyle told her.

"What?" Daf asked, confused.

"Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid , sweetheart, ever seen it?" Kyle asked, with a smirk.

"OK...you keept givin' me pet names, and I'm seriosuly gonna hurt you - "

"_What is going on in here_?" Vernon yelled, as the library door opened with a bang.

They all looked over at him, startled.

"N - Nothing sir," Sean stammered, as he sat down in his seat.

Kyle and Daf also scrambled into their seats, but Connie wasn't quick enough.

"Connie Bender...!" Vernon snapped, as Connie was just about to sit down.

"Yes, sir...?" Connie asked.

"What is that in your hand?" he asked.

Connie glanced down at the letter and then looked over at Nick.

"Uh...it's nothing, sir," Nick answered for her, standing up, "it's just some doodles I drew, and I wanted to show them to Connie."

Vernon glared at the two of them, then he looked around the room...and his eyes fell on the aged envelope that was sitting on the librarian's desk.

...The _empty_ envelope.

"...doodles, huh?" Vernon asked, as he walked over to the desk and picked up the envelope.

All five students cringed.

"Oh, this is bad..." Daf whispered.

Kyle just stared at the back of her head as his own worried thoughts ran through his mind.

"...This is really bad..."

"Bender, front and centre!" he barked.

"Sir, it wasn't her - " Nick began, but Vernon cut him off.

" - I'm not interested in your pitiful excuses, Harrison, I asked for Bender," he said."..._Now_, Bender!"

So Connie obeyed, walking up to join Mr. Vernon at the front of the room.

Vernon immediately snatched the letter out of Connie's hand and read it over.

"Well..." he said "...so I see you've found some of my fan mail."

For the first time that day, Connie was actually scared.

But what she didn't know was that the other four teens were, too.

...Even Sean.

"Alright, Bender, let's go," he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the room.

"But Mr. Vernon - " Nick began, but he was silenced with one glare from Vernon, as he opened the library door.

"You will be without Miss Bender's services for the rest of the day," he told them,"But don't worry, you only have a few more hours until you can go home..." he then glanced over at Connie "...and seven more days until most of you have to come back here again."

With that, he pulled Connie out of the room and shut the door.

As soon as it slammed shut, Nick started walking toward the door, quickly.

Kyle stopped him before he was halfway there and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You do anything stupid, and things are just gonna get worse," he told him.

"How do you know that?" Nick asked, edge in his voice, as he kept his eyes on the door.

"How is it that you don't...?" Kyle replied.

Nick glanced at his best friend, then shrugged his hand off his shoulder, walked back to his desk, and slumped down in his chair.

"This is bad..." Daf mumbled.

* * *

As they marched through the hallway, Connie nearly fell as she tried to keep up with Mr. Vernon, whose hand was still clenched around her arm.

"So, you like to cause trouble, huh...?" he said, as they reached the janitor's closet "...I always knew you'd turn out to be like your gutless father. But y'know what? I turned out like my father, too..." he then pushed her against the closet door "...and he was an army colonel!"

"...Gee, I never woulda guessed," Connie muttered.

"Shut up!" Vernon snapped, as he pulled her away so that he could opened the door, When he yanked the door open he pushed her inside and slammed the door behind him as he followed her in.

"You like to learn about history, Bender...?" hee asked, holding up the letter,"alright, here's a little history lesson for ya...some twenty - odd years ago, I had your father in this exact same closet, and y'know what I said to him...?"

" - I'm guessing it wasn't a poem off of a Hallmark card...?" Connie asked.

"I told him that once he was outta here, and he'd forgotten all about this school, and the years he spent here, I would be there to remind him..." he told her "...I told him that I was gonna knock his dick in the dirt."

"Wow...graphic," Connie muttered.

"I give it to those who can take it..." Vernon explained "...and your father may not've been as tough as he made himself look, but I knew he could take it. The thing is, he's not here right now, you are..."

"Yes, but as I've previously explained to you, sir, I'm female, therefore, I don't have that part of the anatomy," Connie pointed out.

Vernon glared at her.

"...And also, my name is Connie Bender, not John Bender..." she continued "...is that why you keep calling us by our last names, cuz ya can't remember our first ones...?"

"That's enough outta you, Bender!" Vernon snapped.

"I'm not my father," Connie went on,"if you have a beef with him, then take it up with him, and leave me out of it...cuz I'm sure that you're right; he could take anything that you could dish out...but threatening his daughter isn't gonna make the situation any easier for you."

Vernon just glared at Connie...then he started towards her.

Connie winced, and Vernon smirked.

"...Just like your old man..." he said "...you're just another piece 'a shit from the Bender brood."

Then he turned around and walked out of the closet, leaving Connie alone, inside.

Once he was out in the hallway, Vernon shut the door behind him, and locked it.

* * *

It had been about ten minutes since Mr. Vernon had taken Connie out of the library, and none of the teens seemed to be having fun, anymore.

Nick was anxiously pacing on the second floor of the library.

Sean was nervously biting his nails.

Daf was sitting still in her chair, constantly glancing down at her desk, then at the door, fearful.

In the closet, tears were stinging Connie's eyes.

Kyle was sitting on top of his desk facing the back of the room. He kept staring at the book case in front of him, then glancing up at Nick on the second floor, worried.

Suddenly, Nick came down the stairs and headed straight for Daf.

"Nick - " Kyle began, but Nick ignored him.

" - How many 'a those bobbi pins have you got left?" he asked Daf.

"Um..." Daf searched through her purse "...a bunch."

"Well, I just need one."

* * *

A few minutes later, Connie was sitting on the floor of the closet, her head leaned back, resting against a stack of boxes, behind her.

Her eyes were still glassy, but the tears wouldn't fall.

Suddenly, she heard heard a sound, like scratching, coming from outside the door.

She saw the doorknob jiggle, and something clicked.

Then the door opened, and she saw Nick standing in the doorway.

It was then that Connie let herself cry.

Nick immediately came into the closet, shutting the door behind him.

As Connie continued to sob, he sat down next to her and put his arm around her, and she rested her forehead on his shoulder.

Nick just held her in his arms and let her cry.

* * *

_Review, please!_

_Thanks a bunch, I love you all!_

_And the song stanze at the beginning was from "Fo The First Time" by Lifehouse._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	21. They're Gone, Baby, Gone

_Disclaimer: The newbies are mine, the Oldies aren't._

_Author's Notes: YES! I HAVE RETURNED!!! I finished my other story, so now I can return to putting more effort into this story ( I don't say 'all' my effort because for one, I still have another story I'm working on, and two, I have a job and school to deal with, as well)._

_But thank you for still loving me!!!!_

_And now...BACK TO THE SHOW!!!!!_

_(and yes, the movie title in the chapter title was intentional...)_

Chapter 21: They're Gone, Baby, Gone

"Do you think Connie's OK?" Daf asked, from her spot on top of her desk.

"If Nick's there, she'll be fine," Kyle told her, as scribbled some obscene doodles underneath the top shelf of the librarian's desk.

"Why does this guy wanna be her hero, so bad...?" Sean asked, as he sat in a desk at the back and looked over the photocopy of the letter.

Daf rolled her eyes.

"...Just because he wanted to be there for her doesn't necessarily mean he's after the 'hero' title, Sean..." she said "...he's not like you."

"Oh, shut up, bitch!" Sean snapped. "Y'know what...? I'm gettin' really tired of you, you've done nothing but insult me all day - !"

" - You've done nothing but _deserve it _all damn day...!"

"Oh my God...!" Kyle cried out, then he stopped and looked towards the door.

...Daf and Sean did the same.

But Vernon didn't appear to have heard any of their bickering, so Kyle walked over to the other two.

"...Hey, Fred! Ethel! SHUT UP!" he snapped, glancing from one to the other.

"Don't you mean Fred and Wilma...?" Sean asked.

"No, he means Fred and Ethel!" Daf snapped. "Anybody who's ever seen 'I Love Lucy' would understand that!"

"Well,excuse me for being a little too busy with football practice and trying not to flunk out of highs school to watch TV all the damn time, like _you - !"_

_" -_ Did I not just say SHUT UP...?" Kyle asked. "Look, you two have been giving me a headache all day, so y'know what...? I'll just settle this right now. You..." Kyle pointed at Daf "...are a pain in the ass, and _you..."_ he then pointed over to Sean "...are an egotistical, chauvanistic jerk, OK...? Everybody happy now...?"

"...OK, wait," said Sean, "so _I'm _an egotistical, chauvanistic jerk, and _she's_ a pain in the ass...but I suppose you think that makes _you_ the angel in the room, right...?"

"...I never said that," Kyle told him.

"...But that _is_ basically what you implied..." Daf told him "...that you think you're better than us."

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Are you _freakin'_ kidding me...?" he cried "...you two have walked around this school for _three fuckin' years_ acting like you're better than everyone else, and now, when you think somebody's doing the same thing to you, you can't handle it...?"

Sean and Daf just stared at him.

"Kyle..." Daf began.

"...You two amaze me, you really do," Kyle told them, cutting her off "...and y'know what...? I can't even stay in this room anymore, because your egos are taking up all the space in here, and depriving me of oxygen...so if you'll excuse me,I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

With that, he turned around and headed for the door.

"Kyle, you can't go out there!" Daf exclaimed "...Vernon'll catch you!"

"...Believe me, I'm willing to take that chance...!" Kyle told her, then turned opened the door, and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Back in the janitor's closet, Nick and Connie were still sitting on the floor, and Connie was now sitting up and wiping away her tears.

"...Feel better?" Nick asked.

"Yeah..." she replied "...thanks, for uh...y'know, coming to see me."

"Sure thing," he said.

"So, uh...I guess ya better get back now," said Connie.

Nick frowned.

"Get back...?" he asked.

"Yeah, y'know...to the library," she said "...y'know, before Vernon checks in again and realizes that you're gone."

Nick snorted.

"Do you really think he'd miss me...?" he asked.

Connie opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything...there was a knock on the door.

"Oh crap, that's probably Vernon...!" she exclaimed, in a panicked whisper "...and you're in here! And you're not supposed to be in here!"

Nick smirked.

"OK, that smirking habit of yours is really starting to annoy me," Connie told him.

"...It's not Vernon," Nick told her, as he got up off the floor, and pulled her up with him.

"How do you know?" she asked.

Nick put his hand on the doorknob, then turned to give her a puzzled look.

"Do you honestly think that Vernon would knock...?" he asked her.

Seeing his point, Connie shrugged.

So Nick opened the door, and the two of them stared into the face of Kyle, who stared back at them.

" 'Bout damn time...!" Kyle exclaimed "...what the hell were you two doing in there?"

"Never mind that, what the hell are you doin' out here...?" Nick asked him.

"Well, I was just tryin' to get away from - "

Just then, Daf appeared next to him.

"Hi," she said.

" - Her!" Kyle finished, pointing at Daf "...and the other guy!"

Then he looked back at Daf.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" he asked.

"...What the hell do you mean, what the hell am I doing here...?" she asked. "For one, I wanted to make sure you didn't get caught, cuz then I'd for sure get in trouble, somehow, for letting you leave. And also, if you think that I'm just gonna stay in the same room, alone, with my ex - boyfriend, you are way dumber than I ever thought you were!"

Suddenly, a strange sound came out of nowhere...

"HAKANAGA!!!"

"...What the hell is that?" Connie asked.

"That's Vernon...!" Nick replied, and pulled her out of the closet, checking both ways before he took her hand and pulled her down the hall.

...Kyle grabbed Daf's wrist and followed.

Just as the four teens rounded the corner, They saw Vernon turn and round the corner at the end of the next hallway.

So Nick gestured for everybody to crowd into an entrance way in front of one of the classrooms.

When they all shuffled in front of the classroom door, Nick put his finger to his lips, then thought for a moment.

"OK..." he whispered "...we're gonna have to split up, if we wanna survive."

"What?" Daf whispered "...what about 'divide and conquer'?"

"What about getting expelled and/or _eaten_ by the senile old principal...?" Kyle fired back.

"...He's not gonna eat us!" Nick told them, still whispering "...he may kill us, but I doubt that he'll eat us."

"...Speaking of odd appetites, where's Sean?" Connie asked.

"He's still in the library," Daf answered "...sulking."

"Why is he sulking...?" Nick asked.

"Well, because Kyle - "

" - it doesn't matter!" Kyle cut her off, in a loud whisper "...what matters is that we find a way out of here...but first, Nick needs to get to the office."

Nick suddenly broke out into a grin.

"Why does Nick need to get to the office?" Daf asked.

"You're brilliant...brilliant!" Nick told his friend, then turned to Connie.

"...Stay with them, I'll be right back," he said, then he brushed past her and hurried over to the staircase, that was just across from them, and rushed up the stairs.

"I don;t get it, why does he need to get to the office?" Connie asked.

"...Because he needs to get _into_ the office," Kyle told her.

"...And why does he need to get _into_ the office?" Daf asked.

Kyle smirked.

"...You'll see," he said, then crouched down in front of the classroom door.

"...Now, Daf, gimme a hair pin..."

* * *

When the lock finally clicked, Nick stood up and put Daf's hair pin back in his pocket, then opened the office door, and went inside.

Closing the door behind him, he flicked on the light switch and headed for the back of the room...where there was a desk with a stereo and a microphone.

...The area where the student council president usually made the morning announcements, over the PA system.

Nick then took a plastic CD case out of his jacket and flipped it over, looking over the songs that were listed on the back.

He then put it down on the desk and pulled a small walkie - talkie out of his jacket and turned it on, then spoke into it.

"Whadda you think...?" he said, iinto the walkie - talkie "...shall we start with Twisted Sister, or My Chemical Romance?"

"...Twisted Sister..." came Kyle's reply "...always Twisted Sister."

"Alrighty then..." Nick muttered, and put the walkie - talkie back into his jacket, then took the CD out of its case and placed it in the stereo.

* * *

Richard Vernon was close to dozing off in his office chair, when he was woken up by a high - pitched squeak coming over the PA system.

"...What the hell?" he cried, then he heard music start to play.

And it sounded like...rock n' roll.

_'...We're not gonna take it_

_No, we ain't gonna take it_

_We're not gonna take it, anymore...'_

"...That son a of a bitch!" he roared, then jumped out of his chair, hurried across the room and yanked the door open, then hurried down the hall.

_'...We've got the right to choose and_

_There ain't no way we'll lose it_

_This is our life_

_This is our song_

_We'll fight the Powers That Be just_

_Don't pick our destiny cuz_

_You don't know us_

_You don't belong...'_

Back in the library, Sean listened to the music as he sat on the photocopier, his pants down, and chuckled...and not because the photocopier felt funny as it Xeroxed his rear end.

"OK..." he muttered to himself "...that's pretty impressive, Harrison."

* * *

_I wasn't originally gonna end the chapter here, but as I look back on it, I think it's actually a pretty good place to stop._

_...The next one will be up VERY soon, I promise._

_And yes, the song stanze is from "We're Not Gonna take It" by Twisted Sister...one of the greatest anthems for teenagers, everywhere._

_- Ace's Buddy_


	22. Stuck With You

_Disclaimer: Connie Bender and her friends belong to me, John Bender and HIS friends belong to John Hughes._

_Author's Notes: I've been wodering what to do with this chapter for a while now, and I've decided that this chapter is going to be mostly centred around...Kyle and Daf._

Chapter 22: Stuck With You

_Slow down you crazy child_

_You're so ambitious for a juvenile_

_But then if you're so smart_

_Tell me why are you still so afraid?_

* * *

Connie, Kyle and Daf all held their breath as Mr. Vernon ran past the "locked" door of the classroom, and bolted up the stairs. 

...It was actually an impressive speed for a man his age.

Kyle waited a minute before he opened the door and peaked out into the hallway, he then looked back at the girls and motioned for them to follow him out into the hallway.

When they all crept out into the hall, Kyle glanced at Connie and noticed the worried expression on her face.

"He's not gonna kill him, is he...?" she asked.

Kyle smirked.

"Which guy's the one you're worried about...?" he asked.

"Nick...!"

Kyle shook his head.

"In order for Nick to get hurt, he has to get caught, first..." he told her, as he stepped back into the classroom, and shut the door, "...and Nick's never been one for getting caught."

* * *

When Vernon reached the office, he could still hear the rock n' roll song blaring from the PA system. 

_'...We're not gonna take it_

_No, we ain't gonna take it_

_We're not gonna take it, anymore...'_

Gripping onto the doorknob, Vernon tried to yank the door open...but the door wouldn't budge.

There was a large window in the door, so he could see that the light was on in the office, and that the microphone on the desk, in the far corner, was right next to the stereo's speakers.

...But as far as Vernon could tell, no one was actually _in_ the office.

Just then, the song ended, and Vernon breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank God..." he muttered.

But then, another song began...

_'...They're gonna clean up your looks_

_With all the lies in the books_

_To make a citizen out of you_

_Because they sleep with a gun, and keep an eye on you son_

_So they could watch all the things you do...'_

"Oh my God..." Vernon muttered "...that little prick..."

_'...Because the drugs never work_

_They're gonna give you a smirk_

_Cux they got methods of keepin' you clean_

_They're gonna rip up your head_

_Your aspirations to shreds_

_Another cog in the murder machine...'_

* * *

"...What the hell is this?" Daf asked. 

"This, my dear girl...is My Chemical Romance," Kyle answered, smiling.

"Hey...why are we back in the classroom?" Connie asked "...why can't we just leave?"

"Well, unless you wanna be running through the halls with Vernon on your tail, we're gonna wait for Nick," Kyle told her.

"Why do we always have to depend on Nick...?" Daf asked.

"We don't..." Kyle answered "...he's just a lot stealthier than I am."

'_...They say, oh_

_Teenagers scare the livin' shit outta me_

_They could care less, as long as someone'll bleed_

_So darken your clothes_

_Or strike a violent pose_

_Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me...'_

Just then, the door swung open, and Nick popped his head in.

"Hola...!" he greeted, then he grabbed Connie's hand and started to pull her out of the classroom.

"Here we go...!" he exclaimed, and before Connie, or even Kyle and Daf, could say anything, he had closed the door again, and Kyle and Daf were alone in the room.

"He's insane," said Daf.

Kyle shrugged.

"Who isn't, these days...?" he asked, then started to walk over to the chalkboard.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not!" Daf replied.

"Oh no...?" Kyle asked, as he picked up a piece of chalk and turned toward the chalkboard.

"No...!" she replied.

Kyle glanced over at her, and smirked.

"Well, then what the hell are you doin' in here with me?" he asked.

Daf opened her mouth to speak...but for the first time that day, she couldn't think of anything to say.

Kyle noticed this, and smiled.

"My God...she's speechless..." he said "...awesome!"

"Shut up!" Daf snapped, then realizing how loud she was she looked over at the door, fearfully.

"Don't worry about Vernon, he's probably too busy chasing Nick around the school to look in here," Kyle told her, then he put down the chalk and gazed her, curiously.

"...Wait, why _are_ you still in here with me, anyway...?" he asked.

"What?" she asked.

Kyle gestured to the door.

"...Vernon's chasing Nick around, so he probably wouldn't notice you..." he told her "...you can go if you want."

"Well...why don't you wanna leave?" Daf asked.

Kyle shrugged.

"I'm OK with being alone," he said.

"Well...I'm not, so I'm staying here," Daf told him.

"Suit yourself..." said Kyle "...but you'd have the same amount of company if you went back to the library, where Sean is."

"Why are you so desperate to get me outta here?" Daf asked.

"Why don't you wanna get outta here?" Kyle asked.

"I told you, I just...don't like being alone..." Daf told him "...and I'd rather get run down by a herd of wild boar than be alone with Sean Dawson ever again."

Kyle smirked.

"Wow..." he said "...wild boar, huh?"

"...We just finished reading _The Lord of The Flies_ in English class," Daf explained.

"I know..." said Kyle "...I'm in your English class."

Stunned, Daf stared at him.

"...You are?" she asked.

Kyle nodded.

"I sit near the front," he said "...and that's only because you and your friends take up most of the back row."

Daf didn't know what to say.

"...Oh," she mumbled.

"...I'm also in your History class, your Biology class, and your Physics class," Kyle told her.

"...I hate Physics," Daf told him.

"...I know, I had to mark one of your quizzes once," he replied.

Daf groaned and sat down on top of one of the desks.

"Are you _trying_ to make me feel guilty?" she asked.

"No..." said Kyle "...why would you feel guilty?"

"Because you're in over half of my classes and I never even recognized you when I walked in this morning...?" Daf pointed out.

"Trust me, Daf, I didn't mind," Kyle told her "...I'd rather not be recognized by you and your friends, anyway."

"And what does that mean...?" Daf asked.

"It _means_ that whenever you or Sean or one of your friends recognizes somebody outside of your little...clique - thing, it's usually because that person did something emabarrassing that they'd rather not remember...but you guys always do," Kyle told her.

"That's not true," Daf told him.

"Yes it is," Kyle replied.

"Well, it's not..._completely _true," said Daf.

"...Yes it is."

Daf sighed, and looked down at her hands.

"...My friends do it more than I do," she told him.

"...But you don't ever try to stop them, do you...?" Kyle pointed out.

Daf glared at him.

"Y'know what...? You have no right to try and make me feel guilty..." she told him "..you're not my judge and jury, here."

"Exactly, because you think you're better than me...!" Kyle pointed out.

"...It's not because I think I'm better than you...! Nobody has the right to judge other people - !" Daf snapped, then realized what she had just said.

"You mean, like you and your friends do...?" Kyle asked.

Daf hopped off the desk and folded her arms across her chest as she stood in front of him, and looked down at her shoes for a moment, before looking back up into Kyle's eyes.

"Just shut up, OK...? You don't know a thing about me," she told him, in a quiet voice.

"I don't...?" Kyle asked.

"No, you don't," Daf replied.

"OK..." he said, walking over to her "...then tell me something about you."

Daf frowned, in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"Tell me something about you..." Kyle repeated "...I wanna know about you, and I wanna hear it straight from you. No judgments or anything."

At first, Daf was speechless.

...She really hated how he had that effect on her.

"...I'm not sure if you could handle it," she told him.

Kyle shrugged.

"You'll never know until ya try, that's what my dad used to say..." he said "...so c'mon, tell me all about Daf Pearson."

* * *

_Ooh...a cliffie! Yes, I know, I am very evil, aren't I...?_

_Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up as fast as I can...to avoid being stoned to death, or have fruit thrown at me (believe me, it's happened before)._

_And the song stanza at the very beginning was from "Vienna" by Billy Joel._

_And the other song featured in this chapter was "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance._

LOVE YA!!!!!!!!!

- Ace's Buddy


	23. Tell Me More, Tell Me More

Chapter 23 : Tell Me More, Tell Me More

_I wanna be the first thing on your mind in the mornin'_

_The one who knows it's you when you're callin'_

_The girl who dries your tears when they're fallin'_

_I wanna know you like that_

_I wanna be the one you run to when things get crazy_

_The only girl that you call your baby_

_The one whose always got your back_

_I wanna know you like that_

* * *

After Nick pulled Connie out of the classroom, he started running down the hall, pulling her along with him.

"Where are we - ?" Connie started to ask, but Nick cut her off.

"_Shh._..!" he said, in a harsh whisper.

When they got to the end of the hallway, Nick started for the stairs that led to the second floor, but Connie held back.

Nick glanced back at her, still holding onto her hand.

"C'mon...!" he urged.

"But what if - ?"

" - Bender, Bender, Bender...! Nick muttered, as he stepped closer to her "...who the hell cares about the _but_'s or the _what if '_s or whatever the hell else you're about to say to me...? Ya waste all your time trying to come up with excuses, and you'll just miss out on everything!"

Connie just stared at him, as Mr. Vernon's harsh footsteps could be heard walking around on the floor above them.

"...And I really don't want you to miss this," Nick finished, staring into her eyes.

Connie stared back at him, and sighed.

"Alright," she said, "let's go."

Nick smirked, and pulled her along with him, up the stairs.

When they reached the second floor, they saw Vernon at the other end of the hallway, his back to them, as he tried to figure out his own plan of action.

Panicking, Connie moved past Nick and pulled him into the classroom that they were closest to...the computer lab.

Connie quietly shut the door behind them and glared at Nick.

"I am so gonna - " she began.

But once again, Nick cut her off, this time by putting his hand over her mouth.

"You can never just, shut up, can you...?" he whispered.

Connie arched an eyebrow and reached up to pinch Nick's hand.

"_Yeeeow_...!" Nick squeaked, yanking his hand away.

Then, just as quickly, he sat down on the floor and pulled Connie down with him.

They heard heavy footsteps march down the hall, then stop a few feet from the door.

Connie held her breath as she waited for Vernon to start walking again, and hoped that he wouldn't open the door.

When they finally heard his footsteps again, they were going in the opposite direction, away from them.

Connie let out a sigh of relief, then looked over at the boy sitting next to her, and glared at him.

"If we're not dead by the time this day is over...I'm gonna kill you," she told him.

Nick smirked.

"No you're not, you're gonna love me," he said.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"Well, I dunno, I may have to get a referral from Justine Morgan, first," she told him.

"Go ahead, you'll only hear good things," he replied.

"I thought you two only went out for two weeks...?" Connie reminded him.

Nick smirked, and shrugged.

"...It was a good two weeks," he told her.

"If it was a good two weeks, then why didn't it last for three...?" Connie pointed out, a smug look on her face.

Nick smirked, and scratched the back of his neck, while looking down at the floor.

"...You're uncomfortable," said Connie.

Nick's head seemed to snap back up and he gave her a questioning look.

"What...?" he asked.

"You did the scratching the back of your neck - while looking down at the floor - thing..." she told him "...it's what guys do when they're uncomfortable."

"...Well, you're an observant little creature, aren't you?" Nick remarked, with a smirk.

"Oh, I'm a creature, now...?" Connie asked.

"If I'm uncomfortable, then you're a creature," Nick told her.

Connie nodded.

"Fair enough..." she said "...I think."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to the logic, eventually," he told her, as he reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like candies in indiviual gold wrappers.

"...Ya like caramel?" he asked, offering her one.

With a smile, she took the candy from him, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

"So...how much stuff do you have in that jacket, anyway?" she asked.

Nick smirked (big surprise).

"...If I told you, that would just ruin part of my mystery," he said "...and I've always kinda liked my mystery."

"Does that mean that you're not gonna tell me why two weeks never made it to three...?" Connie asked "...and why you're so uncomfortable with it being brought up?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, you're no fun."

"Look..." he began "...I've just...never been comfortable with talking about my past, that's all."

"We're talking about a break - up that happened two weeks ago!" Connie pointed out.

"...Two weeks ago qualifies as a past event!" Nick fired back, "besides, why does it interest you so much, anyway?"

Connie shrugged.

"I just wanna know," she said "..so kill me, I'm curious."

"I just don't need a Dr. Phil, OK...?"

"...And I don't wanna be Dr. Phil!" Connie told him "...he's got hardly any hair on his head and too much under his nose, it's _weird_, if ya ask me...!"

Nick grinned.

"I'll give ya a hundred bucks if you can do an impression of him, right now," he said.

"...Show me the hundred."

Nick pouted.

"...So close," he muttered "...money's about the only thing that I _don't_ have in the jacket."

Connie grinned.

"So, you're seriously not gonna tell me what happened with Justine...?" she asked.

Nick sighed, and turned to rest his back against the wall.

"She cheated on me," he said.

Connie blinked.

"You two were only going out for two weeks and she was already cheating on you...?" she asked.

"Yeah, makes me look pretty pathetic, doesn't it?" he asked.

"No, but it makes her look pretty damn bad...!" she told him, "do you know who she...was with?"

"...Michael Carson."

Connie's eyes widened.

"...Captain of the basketball team, Michael Carson?" she asked.

Nick nodded.

"Yup," he said.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"Well, you're _way_..." she began, but then glanced at him and stopped.

Nick gave her a quizzical look.

"I'm way, what...?" he asked.

"You're...uh, nothing," she replied.

"I'm nothing...?"

"No!" Connie exclaimed. "No! Not what I meant! I just..I was saying you're way..."

"I'm way...what?" Nick asked, then raised an eyebrow.

"Whoa, deja vu," he mumbled.

"Look, it's nothing, OK? Just...never mind," she told him.

"Wait, so I have to spill my guts, but you get to keep quiet...for once?" Nick asked.

"...Pretty much, yeah," she replied, with a nod.

Nick smiled.

"You like me enough to lie to me, at least that's reassuring," he said.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"I lie to everybody, and I like hardly anybody, so don't flatter yourself," she told him, as she stood up and began to walk to the other side of the room.

"OK...I retract me previous comment," Nick said, as he stood up, and turned to look at Connie.

Connie snorted.

"Which one...?" she asked, as she skimmed over some of the posters hanging on the wall.

"...The one about you being an observant creature."

Frowning in confusion, Connie turned around.

"And what does that mean...?" she asked.

"It mean that you're not an observant creature...you're a fascinating one," he told her, as he walked over to her.

"Trust me, I'm not that fascinating," she said.

Nick smirked, and even though the room was dark, and only lit by the sunlight coming through the window blinds, Connie could see a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, Connie Bender..." he said "...I must disagree."

* * *

_HA HA!!! Ya thought you were gonna get a kiss this time, didn't ya...?_

_Sorry, my children, you've gotta be a bit more patient if you're watching for those big moments..._

_By the way, the song stanza at the beginning is from the song "I Wanna Know You Like That" by Nikki Flores._

_I hope everybody had a great Christmas, and has a safe and happy new year...!_

_Love ya loads...!_

_Reviews are food, please don't starve me!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	24. Saying It Out Loud

_Disclaimer: The new guys are mine, the original franchise belongs to Lord Hughes._

Chapter 24: Saying It Out Loud

_And I could tell you _

_His favorite color's green _

_He loves to argue _

_Born on the seventeenth _

_His sister's beautiful _

_He has his father's eyes _

_And if you ask me if I love him _

_I'd lie_

* * *

"...Why do you get to know everything about me, and I don't get to hear anything about you?" Daf asked.

Kyle stared at her, practically dumbfounded.

"...Because you've already heard a bunch of stuff about me," he reminded her "...my family history, my dog's name,even the last time I cried, for God's sake!"

"...Still," she said "I think that whatever question you ask me is also one that you should answer, yourself."

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he said "...favorite color."

"...Purple."

"...Green. Parent you're the spitting image of...?"

"My mother."

"...My father. Favorite action movie...?"

"...Die Hard."

Kyle's eyes widened.

"...What, seriously?" he asked.

Daf shrugged. "I confess, now it's your turn."

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"...Terminator.Worst phtotograhic memory...?"

Daf let out a sigh.

"...Uh, my grandmother's open casket at her funeral, when I was only six."

"...Lie."

Daf frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"You're lying," Kyle told her.

"What makes you think that?" she asked.

"Because, you kinda purse your lips when you lie, like you did just now...which reminds me, you also lied to Sean about the last time you had sex."

Daf glared at him.

"What, so you're trying to read me now?" she asked.

Kyle shrugged.

"I don't need to try, you're easier than a pop - up book," he said.

Daf continued to glare at him.

"...Screw you," she muttered, then hopped off the desk and walked over to the large globe in the corner.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a bad liar," he told her.

She wheeled around to face him again, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Actually, most people would say that I'm a pretty good liar," she told him.

Kyle shrugged, then hopped off the desk he had been perched on and walked towards her.

"You probably are," he said "...I've just always been good at reading people."

"You get that from your father, too...?" Daf asked, sarcastically.

"No, actually, that one came from Mom," Kyle told her."Now c'mon, what's your worst photographic memory?"

Daf looked down at her shoes, not saying a word.

"...Either that, or you have to tell me about the last_ real_ time you had sex," he added.

Daf glanced up at him for a moment, then looked away.

"My worst photographic memory is...is seeing Sean and Mackenzie Luddman making out, through the rear window of her Camaro," she told him, her voie sounding weak.

Kyle frowned.

"Wait, so, on Thursday night, when he had sex with her - "

" - No," Daf cut him off, "no, it wasn't on Thursday night."

"...Huh, well that's weird, cuz he didn't seem like he was lying - "

"...He wasn't," she told him "...as well as you can read me, I can read Sean better. He wasn't lying."

Kyle didn't know what to say...which freaked him out, because he always knew what to say.

...So Daf just kept talking.

"...He had sex with her on Thursday, because we broke up on Tuesday...because he also had sex with her last Saturday," she explained.

Kyle was still at a loss for words, so he just walked up to her, put his arms around her...gently, and pulled her close.

"...What're you doing?" Daf asked.

"It's called a hug, just go with it, because this'll probably never happen between us again," he told her.

* * *

Back in the computer lab, Nick was still standing _extremely_ close to Connie.

She didn't like it...but she didn't hate it, either.

"...Do you like your parents?" she suddenly asked.

Nick gave her a puzzled look.

"...Do I what?" he asked.

"...Do you like your parents?" Connie repeated, as Nick moved away and began to walk to the other end of the room "...cuz, you haven't really talked about 'em much, except about the stuff your dad used to do with my dad, when they were in high school...but you haven't talked about what he's like, now."

"Bender, just cuz you babble on and on about your parents doesn't automatically mean that I have to do the same," he told her, leaning up against a table.

Connie frowned, surprised at his change in attitude.

"...I don't _babble_ about my parents," she said "...as I recall, you were the one who brought up the whole subject of my father, in the first place!"

Nick stayed silent.

"'_You don't know who your dad_ was, _do you_?'...you said that, remember? Not me," she reminded him.

"Wow, so I guess the secret's out...Connie Bender really does despise her parents," Nick retorted.

"...I never said that!" said Connie, "and I don't despise my parents, but I get the feeling that you don't like yours, much."

"...And what makes you think that?" Nick asked.

"...The fact that you totally avoided my question and instead chose to pick a fight with me," she told him.

Nick just stared at her for a moment, then...

"...Talking about my parents would be a good waste of my breath," he told her, moving away from the table and heading towards the teacher's desk at the front of the room.

"...Why?" Connie asked, as Nick sat down in the teachers cushioned chair.

"BECAUSE...!" Nick yelled, then looked toward the door.

Connie, did, too.

...But Vernon couldn't be seen or heard on the other side of the door, so they both relaxed a bit.

"Because, why...?" Connie asked, her voice softer than it was before.

"Because my mom's dead and my dad's in jail for possession," Nick told her,in a low voice, as he perched his elbow on the desk, and leaned his knuckle against his forehead.

"...Really?" Connie asked.

"...I haven't lied to you yet, have I?" Nick pointed out.

Connie didn't say anything.

"I live with my big sister," Nick continued "...have been, for a few years now."

Connie nodded, but still remained silent.

"...Yeah, we've never baked my Dad a cake with a file in it, but we do send him a card for his birthday, every year," Nick told her.

Connie remained still and quiet.

Nick smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Well...?" he asked "...aren't you gonna say something?"

But Connie didn't say a word, she just walked over to Nick, sat down in his lap...and hugged him.

"...I don't need any sympathy hugs, Bender," he told her "...I've already had enough of those."

"...So maybe this is for me," Connie told him, still not letting go.

Nick sighed.

"...You're lucky you're cute," he told her.

"...I've been thinking the same thing about you all day," she replied.

Nick smirked, and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

_Song stanza is from the song "I'd Lie" by Taylor Swift._

_Reviews are love, and love is meant to be shared...:P_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	25. Believe The Unbelievable

_Disclaimer: How dare you accuse me of such a thing when I've made it VERY clear in the last TWENTY - FOUR FREAKIN' CHAPTERS that I do not own this franchise?_

_Author's Notes: This next chapter is dedicated to MarsLover...who gave me a great idea a while ago that I promised I would incorporate into the story, and now I finally got my chance..._

_...Oh, and a special shout - out to CarriPottergirl, who came up with the name "Nonnie" (I think it's pretty obvious who her favorite chararcters are!), and a big apology to Jacob Hoover (I couldn't remember what your screenname is), who was the victim of a case of mistaken identity, on my part._

**Chapter 25: Believeing The Unbelievable**

"...I don't believe it."

"...It's true!"

"I never heard about it!"

"So...? That doesn't mean it didn't happen!"

"...But when a girl hits her English teacher in the head with a metal baseball bat,I'm sorry, but it seems to me like that's the kinda story that would travel pretty far," said Kyle.

"It was her _gym teacher_, and she hit him in the _stomach_, and it didn't travel very far because her parents got it settled quietly," Daf told him.

"Uh huh...and how do you know this girl, again?" Kyle asked.

"She's my cousin."

"Uh huh...and what did you say her name was?"

"Lyra McPherson."

Kyle blinked in disbelief.

"_Lyra_...?" he exclaimed.

Daf nodded.

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"A girl named Daf has a juvey - inmate cousin named Lyra..." he muttered "...OK,just out of curiosity, which side of your family grew up with a hippie commune?"

"Shut up!" Daf snapped,trying extremely hard to hide her smile.

"You're right, that was mean..." Kyle apologized "...besides, for all I know, it could be that one part of your family was raised on saturday morning cartoons."

Daf frowned with confusion. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Kyle shrugged.

"Well, you haven't yet told me what 'Daf' is short for...for all I know, your full name could be Daffy Duck Tweety Bird Pearson," Kyle pointed out, with a smirk.

Daf rolled her eyes.

"...Shut up," she grumbled.

"Oh, hey...! Is one of your parents a hippie, and the other one's a cartoonist, by any chance?" he asked.

Daf glared at him, then started to look around the room, as if she was searching for something.

"What're you lookin' for?" Kyle asked.

"...I'm looking for something to throw at you," she replied.

"Hey, be my guest and take a shot," he told her.

She glanced back at him and quirked an eyebrow.

"...Oh yeah, I've got cat - like reflexes, baby," he told her.

Daf's smirk finally broke into a full smile.

"Cat - like, huh?" she asked.

Kyle smirked.

"...Meow."

Daf rolled her eyes.

"...God, now he's doing animal - sounds," she grumbled.

"...Hey, I'm a seasoned pro when it comes to animal impressions," he told her "...in kindergarten, whenever we sang 'Old McDonald had A Farm', I was always picked to do the animal sounds."

"...Because you're a jackass, a pig, and you're contantly bullshitting everybody?" she guessed.

"OK, one...out of all the juvenile delinquants in attendance today, I've been the most honest, and you know it," he told her "...and two, you can try and use every distraction tactic you've got, but I'm still gonna keep asking what your name is."

Daf quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips,which Kyle found kind of hot...but he'd never admit it.

"What could I offer in place of my name?" she asked.

Kyle frowned.

"What kind of a question is that?" he asked.

"Like, I'd tell you something else you want to know...instead of my name," she said.

"I don't wanna know anything else,' he said, with a smile.

"Oh, c'mon...!" Daf prodded "I could tell you...what Sean's like in bed!"

"...And how would that be of any significance to me?" Kyle asked "...besides, you'd just be lying when you told me about it, anyway."

Daf gave him a puzzled look.

"And what makes you think that?" she asked.

"...Because I don't think you ever slept with Sean, or with Tyler Addison," Kyle told her. "I think you're a - "

" - Daffodil August Pearson!" she said, cutting him off "...that's it, OK? THAT'S my name! My birthday's in August and my mom always said that when I was born, I was as pretty as a daffodil, so THAT'S what she named me!"

Kyle smiled, then he hung his head and started to laugh.

"...And you think it's funny, just like I knew you would!" Daf fumed. "God you are so - !"

" - No, no!" said Kyle, trying to contain his laughter "...that's not why I'm laughing, it's a great name, really it is, I just..."

He couldn't contain his laughter any longer at this point.

"...I knew that would work!" he exclaimed.

Daf's eyes widened,then she glared at him.

But Kyle just kept laughing.

So Daf got off of her desk, walked over to the chalk - board, picked up a small chalk - eraser...and threw it at him.

Kyle ducked just in time.

"...Meow!" he exclaimed, still laughing.

Daf groaned in frustration, then continued to throw more erasers, pieces of chalk, and Sharpee markers at him. 

* * *

Back in the library, Sean was lying on top of a desk, staring up at the ceiling.

"...Having fun?" came a voice from the doorway.

Sean immediately sat up and glanced over at the doorway in alarm, then relaxed a bit and rolled his eyes.

"...Oh yeah," he said, "it's a real party in here."

"Huh..." Nick murmered, as he walked into the room "...all this time I've been alone with a girl in a dark classroom, when I could've been in here partying it up with you...boy, do I feel stupid."

"So why aren't you in that dark classroom with Connie, anymore...?" Sean asked.

Nick opened his mouth to respond, when he stopped, closed his mouth and gave Sean a puzzled look.

"How'd you know I was with Connie?" he asked.

Sean snorted.

"Please...don't insult my intelligence," he said.

"Why not? It's easy_and_ fun," Nick replied "...and I'm not with Connie right now cuz I figured that since you've been alone for all this time, you could use some good conversation."

"And_you're_ gonna give it to me...?" Sean asked.

"...I didn't say I was gonna give it to you," said Nick "...I said you could use it."

* * *

_Yes, I know it's not the longest chapter, but please just continue to bare with me..._

_And at least we know that Sean still exists, right?_

_REVIEW PLEASE!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	26. The Male Room

_Disclaimer: ...The newbies are mine, so Mr. Hughes, if you want 'em, I think we might be able to come up with a suitable trade (...like my Newbies for the rights to Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Pretty In Pink...what say you to that?)_

Chapter 26: The Male Room

_So, if you're mad, get mad/ Don't hold it all inside/ C'mon and talk to me, now/ Hey,what you got to hide?/  
I get angry, too/ Well, I'm a lot like you_

"...I can have more intelligent conversations with a _chair_ than I could probably ever have with you, Harrison," Sean retorted.

Nick shrugged and walked over to sit on the chair in front of Sean.

"...I don't remember promising _intelligent_ conversation, so if that's what you heard, then you need to get the mulch from the football field out of your ears," Nick told him.

Sean just huffed, and continued to stare at the ceiling.

"C'mon," said Nick "...you've been alone in a library for long enough that you must have something on your mind."

"OK, _one_ - " Sean began, sitting up " - I don't see why you would even _care_ about what's on my mind, unless you really are bored with Connie, and _two_...I haven't necessarily been in the library this whole time."

"...Oh yeah, I didn't think those fliers had been there this morning, y'know, on the walls, and the lockers, and the classroom doors - "

"I also stuck a couple in the girls washroom," Sean told him, grinning.

Nick chuckled.

"Nice," he said, "but wait, you never saw Vernon...?"

Sean shrugged.

"...Did _you_ see him at all when you came down here?" Sean asked.

Nick furrowed his brow and thought this over.

"Y'know, come to think of it, I didn't..." he muttered.

"Well, I guess that's good, right?" Sean offered.

"It's weird is what it is..." Nick muttered "..But anyway, we won't care about Vernon right now, y'know why?"

"Oh golly, ya gonna tell me?" Sean drawled.

"Certainly, it's because right now..." Nick said, slapping Sean on the knee "...we're gonna talk about you."

"Why me?" Sean asked.

Nick paused, as if he was thinking about something.

"Y'know, it's funny..." he said "...I hear people ask that question a lot when I'm around."

"Can't imagine why..." Sean muttered.

"Yeah, me neither!" Nick replied, either missing his sarcasm, or just choosing to ignore it.

"So what exactly do you, the posterchild for delinquancy,want to know about me?" Sean asked.

Nick arched an eyebrow.

"...What?" Sean asked.

"I've seen you in this library on this particular day of the week more than a few times...and yet, _I'm_ the posterchild for delinquancy?" Nick asked.

Sean gave him a puzzled look.

"I've never seen you here when I've been here - "

" - The hell you haven't," Nick replied, cutting him off, "you've seen me, I know you have...we've just never bothered talkin' to each other before today."

"...Yeah, because you always just lock the supervisor out of the library when they're off takin' a piss, and then you go to the back of the library and sleep," Sean pointed out.

"Well, at least I'm not at the back of the library takin' a piss," Nick replied, smirking.

Sean chuckled.

"...And, see? You've seen me," Nick pointed out.

"Alright, so maybe I'm a compulsive liar - " Sean retorted.

" - No no no, your ex _girlfriend_ is a compulsive liar, _Kyle_ is a compulsive liar...'course, in his case, it's hereditary," said Nick, mumbling the last part "...but _you,_ my strapping jock - strapped friend, are not a liar, are you?"

"No...I'm worse," Sean muttered.

"How much worse?" Nick asked.

"I'm not a liar...I'm a cheater," Sean told him.

"Drug test, math test, or girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend."

"...Drug test."

Sean's eyes bulged."What?" he asked, shock written all over his face.

Nick smirked.

"...Just kiddin'," he said.

Sean exhaled.

"So you're not only a liar...but you lie about cheating," said Sean.

Nick shrugged. "I'm a complex human being," he said.

"Are you sure?" Sean asked.

"What, that I'm complex...?"

"...No, that you're a human being."

Nick shrugged.

"Well," he said, "I have all the symptoms...I screw up a lot, I have a conscience...just a little one, though, although, it has been said by many a female that I'm so damn good - looking, there's no way I can be considered just mere mortal."

Sean quirked an eyebrow.

"...What?" Nick asked.

"Mother,aunt, or grandma?" Sean asked.

"...Kelly Kapowski."

"...From _Saved By The Bell_ ?"

Nick shifted his gaze from the left to the right, and then looked back at Sean.

"...It's just a coincidence."

Sean smirked.

"...Anyway, _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be doing the questioning right now," Nick told him.

"Says who?"

"Says...the rules."

"What rules?"

"The Nick Harrison Rules Of Detention Demeanor."

"...Demeanor?" Sean repeated.

Nick looked all around the room, then back at Sean.

"Is there an echo in here or something?" Nick asked, "yes, demeanor. My demeanor, being that I should be patient and attentive,even if it kills me, _your_ demeanor being that you have to be cooperative...meaning you cooperate and answer all my questions."

"I could just walk out of the room, y'know," Sean told him.

"...And answer all my questions from the hallway? Why would you wanna do that?" Nick asked, "Then I'd have to yell from the doorway, and you wouldn't hear me anyway, cuz let's just face it, that's the kinda luck we have as a pair out there," Nick said, pointing to the library door "...so you'd be yelling back at me and Vernon, who would be lurking in the shadows or hiding under a rock somewhere, would leap out and catch us with a loud victory cry of 'HAKA NAGA!'"

"Haka - what?" Sean asked.

"You've never heard him doing that?...It's really weird, I think it was something he and the rest of his tribe would yell whenever they caught a pig for dinner, or something," Nick told him.

Sean chuckled, then cringed.

"Ahhh...!" he exclaimed."Thanks a lot, now all I can see is a visual of Vernon in a loin cloth!"

After a moment, Nick cringed, too.

"Ohh, I just got it, too...!" he exclaimed.

They both shuddered.

"...Do you really think Vernon's up to something?" Sean asked."I mean, we haven't heard him, he hasn't been in here to check on us-"

"- So he's either sleeping, hiding...or dead," said Nick.

Sean glanced at Nick.

"Well," he said, with a shrug "...he is kinda...old."

Nick raised an eyebrow, and gave Sean a look that, for once, he could read right away.

It was one of those looks that said..._you never know_.

* * *

_So...where in the world is Vernon?_

_You'll have to wait a bit longer to find out, cuz in the next chapter, we find out what Kyle, Daf, and Connie are up to._

_And Connie finds something out about Nick that she may not want to know..._

_Oh, and the little song stanza at the beginning is from the song "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders...originally, but the Carrie Underwood version is also one I recommend._

_REVIEW PLEEEEEEEASE!!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	27. The Truth You Neglacted To Tell Me

_Disclaimer: I own the original movie, but I don't own the rights to it (yet, anyway, John still hasn't returned my calls.) or the orginal characters. I DO however, own the OFFSPRING of some of the original characters, and some characters who aren't offspring of the original characters, so YAY ME!!_

_Author's Notes: And I did make a slight change to chapter 24, by renaming the chapter "Saying It Out Loud". One reason being that the theme of Truth would fit better with THIS chapter. I know it sounds strange, but just bare with me...I know you guys are all really good at that. :)_

Chapter 27: The Truth You Neglected To Tell Me pt. 1

Back in the classroom, Kyle had resorted to pulling a few desks together, near the middle of the classroom, and sleeping on top of them.

Daf, who had been looking through the teacher's desk, glanced over at Kyle...and grinned.

She looked around the desk until her gaze fell on a black Sharpee marker that was laying beside the pencil holder.

With a smirk, Daf grabbed the marker, walked out from behind the desk, and headed over to Kyle.

When she was about a foot away from him, she carefully unscrewed the lid on the marker, knowing that if she just pulled it off, Kyle would hear it and wake up.

The lid made the tiniest little popping sound as it came off, which she cringed at, but noticed that Kyle still hadn't woken up.

So, she walked over to him, marker in hand, and stood over his sleeping form, trying to fight the giggle that was anxious to come out of her mouth.

She raised the marker, ready to give Kyle a nice - looking moustache that would have him looking like a French waiter, when suddenly...she stopped.

She put her hand down, feeling compelled to just...look at him.

She didn't know why, something about his face was just...nice.

He had a nice face.

...When he wasn't making sarcastic remarks or rolling his eyes at her, Kyle was actually kind of good - looking.

He was a little on the scrawny side, but other than that he wasn't too bad.

And then his eyes opened.

But Daf didn't move. She didn't speak, she just continued to watch him.

Kyle sat up slowly, not seeming all that surprised to see her right next to him.

"Hi," was all he said.

"Hi," Daf replied.

Just then, the door opened, and Connie walked into the classroom, closing the door behind her.

Daf and Kyle both stared at her in surprise.

Connie frowned.

"...What?" she asked.

"What're you doin' here?" Kyle asked.

Connie shrugged.

"I got lonely," she said.

"I thought you were with Nick...?" Daf asked.

"He took off a few minutes ago, went to hang out with Sean in the library," Connie replied.

"So why didn't you go with him?" Daf asked.

Connie shrugged.

"I dunno, I just felt like comin' down here to see what you guys were up to," she said, then gave them both a questioning look "...I'm sorry, did you two want to be _alone_, or something?"

"No!" they both answered, then glanced at each other.

"No, but hey, why would Nick wanna hang out with Sean?" Kyle asked, quickly changing the subject.

"His exact words were 'jocks get lonely, too'," Connie replied.

Daf leaned against a desk next to Kyle and rolled her eyes.

"With all the female company he keeps, I don't understand how he could get lonely," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"Down, girl," said Kyle.

Daf glared at him.

Connie smirked.

"And now we're back to normal..." she said.

The two of them gave her puzzled looks.

"What?" they both asked.

Connie smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said.

"Hey, wait a sec," Kyle spoke up, looking over at Connie,"you came back here from wherever the hell you were...and where was that by the way?"

"We were in the computer lab on the second floor," Connie told him.

"OK, so you came all the way down here from the computer lab on the second floor...and Vernon never saw you?" Kyle asked.

Connie shrugged.

"I never saw _him..._! It's like he completely disappeared," she told him.

"Well, maybe he's back in his office," Daf suggested.

"Yeah...or maybe he's up to something..." Kyle murmered.

Connie frowned and glanced at Daf, who just shrugged.

"...Like what?" Connie asked.

Kyle shrugged.

"I dunno, that's why it would be better if Nick was here...he's slightly better at thinking up conspiracies," he said, then glanced at Daf "...but only _slightly_ better."

Daf smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah..." said Connie, as she sat down on top of a desk in front of Daf "...that probably just comes from what happened to his dad, though, right?"

Kyle frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I'm no psychiatrist..." said Connie "...but Nick's troublemaking behaviour is probably rooted from his dad being sent to jail when he was younger, right?"

Then she frowned, and looked over at Daf.

"Wow...I really did sound like a psychiatrist, didn't I?" she asked.

Daf nodded.

"But it was kind of impressive," she told her.

Connie smirked.

"Well, thanks - "

" - OK, hold the phone for sec," Kyle cut in "...what exactly did Nick tell you about his parents?"

Connie frowned.

"...Why?" she asked.

"...I'm just curious," said Kyle.

"Are you saying he lied - ?"

" - Just tell me what he said, Bender," Kyle demanded, in a low voice.

Connie was still confused, but she answered him, anyway.

"He said that his mom's dead and his dad's in jail for possession," she said "...he said he's been living with his older sister for the past few years."

"Wow, that's rough," said Daf.

"Yeah..." Connie murmered, then glanced over at Kyle "...but it's not true, is it?"

Kyle was looking over at the back wall of the classroom, refusing to look at her as he shook his head.

Connie was angry now.

"Why would he lie about that?" she asked.

"Don't feel bad - " Kyle murmered.

" - _Don't feel bad_?" Connie snapped "After I asked him if it was really true, the one thing he said to me was,'I haven't lied to you, yet, have I?'"

"Connie, that really is the one thing he ever lies about," Kyle told her. "Other than that, he's probably one of the most honest people I know."

"But why would he lie about something like that?!" Connie cried, her eyes getting glassy. "Why...?"

"That's not for me to tell you," Kyle told her."if you want answers, then go to the source."

"But he already lied to her once!" Daf pointed out.

"Yeah, but he's not gonna do it again," Connie told them, then she started for the door "...I'm gonna get the truth if I have to beat it out of him..."

"Connie why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Kyle called after her.

Connie stopped, and turned back toward them.

"...Because it is a big deal," she said, then she took a piece of folded up paper out of her pocket, and dropped it on the desk nearest to the door.

"...I thought that might amuse you guys," she said, pointing to it. "Somebody photocopied their butt and put the pictures up all over the hallways."

With that, she turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Curious, Daf got off of her desk and went over to look at the picture.

When she reached the desk at the front of the room, she looked over her shoulder at Kyle, who had once again pulled a couple of desks together and was laying flat on his back. But he wasn't sleeping, he was just staring up at the ceiling.

"You OK...?" She asked.

Kyle sighed.

"This is none of her business," he mumbled.

Turning her whole body to face him, Daf shrugged.

"Well, it's obvious she kinda likes him, maybe she wants to make it her business," she said.

She saw Kyle's head wobble a little as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, and realized he was shaking his head.

"No, she really doesn't," he said.

Daf shrugged and unfolded the paper Connie had left for them.

...And for a few seconds, she just stared at it.

Kyle raised his head and gave her a questioning look.

"What is it?" he asked.

Suddenly, Daf grinned...then she started to laugh.

Puzzled, Kyle sat up.

"What is it?" he asked.

Daf shook her head, and continued to stare at the paper, as she chuckled to herself.

"God Almighty..." she murmered.

* * *

_Ah, ze romance...! Ze DRAMA! ZE SUSPENSE!_

_...Makes for a pretty good time, doesn't it?_

_Next, Connie and Nick get into an actual fight, we find out the truth behind Nick's little lie, and Vernon reappears...!_

_...Or maybe he won't, we'll see how I feel. :)_

_Press the magical blue button and REVIEW PLEASE!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	28. The Truth You Neglected To Tell Me pt 2

_Disclaimer: I will not tell you people again!! Well, no, I probably will, but not right now, cuz I'm anxious to get on with this chapter!...You know who belongs to who, anyway._

Chapter 28: The Truth You Neglected To Tell Me pt. 2

_Well you drive me crazy half the time  
the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true  
And I'm only me when I'm with you_

Shutting the library door behind him, Nick stepped out into the hallway and looked around for any signs of human life...or Vernon.

Not seeing anyone, Nick started down the hallway, walking toward the stairs that led up to the second floor.

But just as he neared the end of the hallway, he heard the sound of squeaky shoes coming down the hallway ahead of him.

He knew that sound.

He was about to come face - to face with Richard vernon.

Panicking, Nick quickly walked to the other side of the hall and flattened himself against the wall, holding his breath.

He finally saw Vernon start to come around the corner, but he was looking down at his watch and grumbling to himself, so fortunately he hadn't noticed Nick...yet.

"...I'm the principal for Christ's sake, I should have today off..." Vernon grumbled "...but _noooo_, that fuckin' janitor has to go home to please his damn old lady and fix his fuckin' water heater...!"

Suddenly, Vernon looked down at his tie.

"Ah, shit...! How did that get there?" he exclaimed. He grimaced at his tie, then looked around the hallway.

Nick stayed quiet, holding his breath, and trying to make himself get flatter against the wall, if that was possible.

With one more disgusted grimace directed at his tie, Vernon turned around and headed back in the direction he came from, mumbling something about heartburn and forgetting to bring Wet - Naps.

Nick waited about ten seconds, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, directly across the hall from him, the door to the janitor's closet opened and Nick saw Connie standing in the doorway.

She silently beckoned for him to come over, so, with one last glance down the hall to make sure Vernon was really gone, Nick quickly hurried over to the other side of the hall.

When he got to the janitor's closet, Connie stepped back so he could get inside, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him.

"Oh man, you have no idea - "

But she didn't let him finish, she just slammed her fist right into his stomach.

With a loud grunt of pain, Nick doubled over.

Holding his stomach, he looked up at Connie.

"What the hell was - "

Again, she didn't let him finish. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pratically flung him across the small room, so he landed against some boxes that were sitting against the wall.

" - That for?" he finally finished, staring up at her with a look of confusion...and possibly some fear.

"You lied to me," she said.

"...What?" he asked, still clutching his stomach and trying to catch his breath.

Connie crouched down so she was eye - level with him.

"You. Lied. To. Me," she repeated, "and I wanna know why."

He stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"Oh...that," he said.

"Yeah, _that_...!" Connie snapped. "How could you lie to me like that?"

Suddenly, Nick's expression seemed to harden.

"Well, it's not like it's really any of your business, anyway, is it?" he asked, glaring at her,"it's not like we're lifelong buddies and you need to know every single thing about me - "

" - You need to know everything about everyone else around _you_, so why can't you return the favor for the rest of us?" Connie asked, cutting him off.

Nick rolled his eyes and stood up, wincing as he clutched his stomach.

"You pack quite a punch, Bender, your daddy would be proud," he said.

"...Ya think so?" Connie asked,"well, what about you, would your daddy be proud of you and your lying, juvenile delinquant ass...perfect though it may be?"

Even though his stomach was still hurting, Nick managed to smirk.

"You like my ass now, Connie?" he asked.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"It was an insult, jackass," she grumbled.

"So, by telling me I had a perfect ass, you were attempting to insult me?" Nick asked, still smirking.

"I also said you were a lying juvenile delinquant - "

" - Well, that's nothing I've never heard before," he said, as he stepped closer to her. "But I gotta tell ya, nobody who's ever been angry with me has looked quite as adorable as you do."

Connie didn't respond at first, she just held his gaze.

"...What happened to your parents, Nick?" she asked.

Nick stopped for a moment...then plastered a smile on his face.

"...You're pretty," he said.

"Stop trying to distract me, Nick, and just tell me," Connie demanded.

Nick just smirked and reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, but seriously - "

Connie grabbed his wrist and held it tightly.

"I'll hurt you again if I have to," she told him.

Nick just gazed at her, and said nothing...so, with a shrug, Connie bent his wrist backward as hard as she could.

Nick cringed in pain.

"Ah! Ah!...Alright, alright..._alright! I'll tell you_!" he yelped.

With a smirk, Connie let go of his wrist.

Pulling his wrist back quickly, Nick rubbed it with his other hand and scowled at her.

"You're a mean woman," he told her.

"...says the lying creep," she replied."Now tell me what happened to your parents."

Nick sighed.

"Why do you wanna know so bad?" he asked.

Connie shrugged.

"I just...I wanna know you," she said, "but I don't like liars. However, Kyle has assured me that that's not who you are, and that you only ever lie about one thing."

"...And now you wanna know the truth about that one thing," Nick finished.

"Wow...that's finally registered in your mind, huh?" Connie asked, sarcastically.

"You wanna know, or not?" Nick asked.

"...Are you gonna tell me the truth?" she asked.

"Yes."

Connie paused for a moment...then she held out her pinky finger.

"Ah. come on...!" Nick grumbled.

But Connie just glared at him and held her pinky higher, so it was right in his face.

Nick sighed, and wrapped his own pinky finger around hers.

They both let go, and Nick shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and sighed.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"Will ya quit it with all the dramatic sighing and just tell me, already?" she demanded.

Taken aback, Nick smirked.

"...And the smirking!" she continued, "stop it with the damn smirking! it's getting annoying!"

Nick quirked an eyebrow.

"...Is it really?" he asked.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"Fine, it's extremely adorable, but stop trying to distract me with it and tell me about your parents like you said you would!" she demanded.

Nick gave her a small smile and nodded.

"The truth..." he said "...is that my mother really is dead, she died in a car crash when I was eight, and my dad...my dad left me and my older sister when I was nine. My sister and I then went to live with my grandma, who died in her sleep about five years later. By then, my sister was old enough to be named my legal guardian, so we've been living together, just me and her, for the past few years."

Connie stayed silent for a moment.

"...So, that's it?" she finally asked.

Nick nodded.

"That's it...the whole truth, just for you, Connie Bender," he said.

She nodded.

"OK," she said.

Nick smirked.

"OK..." he said "...now what about you?"

"What about me?" she asked.

Nick shrugged.

"During that little game of yours you left a question unanswered," he reminded her "...and I'd like to know the answer to that question."

Connie frowned in confusion.

"Which question was that?" she asked.

Nick smiled and leaned closer to her.

"What's the one thing in the world that you want most for yourself?" he asked, in low voice.

Connie looked away and bit her lip.

"Connie..."

"It's totally embarrassing!" she said.

"Oh, c'mon," said Nick "when I wouldn't tell you the truth, you _literally_ twisted my arm until I agreed to tell you about my home situation, now _you're_ gonna hold out on _me_? That's a bit hypocritical, don'tcha think?"

"But it's totally girly...!" she whined.

"Well, you _are_ a girl, so I won't hold it against you!" Nick insisted.

Connie smirked.

"OK, fine..." she said "...what I want, most in the world...is a prince."

"...A prince?"

"A prince."  
"...Wow, that is girly," he said.

"I'm not finished yet," Connie told him.

"Well, then, by all means...continue," said Nick.

"Well..." she said, starting to pace "...in the middle of the night, my prince would scale the castle wall ...or the trellis on the side of my house, whatever...then he would climb onto my roof and sneak over to my window, knock on my window, then I would open it and he would tell me to pack a bag, which I would, then I'd climb out the window and we'd jump off the roof together, well, he'd jump first then catch me when I came down...then we would get into his '67 Shelby Mustang and drive to Vegas, and get married by an Elvis impersonator at the Little White Wedding Chapel."

When she finished, she stopped and looked over at Nick.

Nick was silent at first, but then he grinned.

"Wow..." he said "...that's...that's very...detailed."

"...You think it's funny!" she exclaimed.

"No!...No, I just think it's...well, yeah, it's girly..." Nick stuttered, still grinning.

"And...?"

"And, what...?" Nick asked.

"There's something else you wanna say, I can tell," said Connie.

"Well, it's just...well, how long have you been planning this, exactly?" Nick asked.

"Since I was six," Connie replied.

Nick nodded.

"That's cool," he said.

"_And_...?" Connie asked.

"_And_ nothing...!" Nick exclaimed.

"I don't buy it," she said, "there's something you're dying to say, I can tell."

Nick shrugged.

"Well, you just..I didn't peg you for a 'Vegas wedding' type 'a girl," he said."You just kinda surprised me...you've done that a few times, today."

Connie frowned.

"So, what...?" she asked "...the minute we met, you already thought you had me pegged?"

"You sayin' you didn't do the same thing to me?" Nick asked.

Connie shrugged.

"I thought you were cute," she admitted.

Nick smirked.

"...Then your personality showed up and ruined it for me," she finished, with a smirk of her own.

Nick squinted at her, and smirked.

"You're totally lying," he said.

"Am I?" she asked, still smirking.

"You like me," he said.

"Do I?"

He nodded, smiling.

"You're crazy about me," he said, "you're head over heels for me - "

" - There's that lovely ego again," Connie remarked.

"Y'know, it'll be better if you just admit it," Nick told her, "just admit that you're totally crazy about me."

"Why?" Connie asked, her smirk had since grown into a full - blown grin "...so you can let me down easy and then buy me a cookie as an apology?"

Nick pondered this for a moment.

"...No," he said, "more like, so I can kiss you now, then take you out tonight and make sweet, sweet love to you."

Connie laughed.

"Well, I dunno..." she said "...do you drive a Shelby Mustang?"

"No," Nick replied, "But I have a pick - up truck."

"Oh, well, of course you do...!" Connie said, laughing, then she stopped laughing and gazed into Nick's eyes.

"I like pick - up trucks," she said.

Nick smirked.

"Yay," he said, smiling.

Then he wrapped his arms around her, leaned in...and kissed her.

* * *

_I know Vernon wasn't in it for very long, but he'll be back, I promise!_

_And hopefully you guys liked it, cuz I know i enjoyed writing it. :)_

_And the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from the song "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift._

_REVIEW PLEASE!!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	29. Author

**Author's Note**

Hey guys, it's me. Sorry, I know you were expecting another chapter, but I just wanted to let you know that the real next chapter will be uploaded at the beginning of July, cuz my university course ends on June 30, and that's what I've been concentrating on for the past couple months.

I also wanted to let you know that I've changed my penname to IGottaFindYou (if you haven't noticed already)…I guess I was just tired of being someone's Buddy.

See ya soon! I rpromise...!

- IGottaFindYou


	30. I'm Here To Listen

_Author's Note:_ _Yes, I'm alive! And I'm back! And I am here to give all of you wonderful readers (the ones who are still left anyway:P) another good dose of Saturday detention at Shermer High School._

_Thank you to all readers who have been patient with me (all you wonderful, lovely, loyal people) and to those I have lost...well, I guess I kinda deserve it, I did keep you waiting an awfully long time._

_But I'm on Winter break right now, so I hope you all find this early Christmas gift to your liking!!!!_

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own the franchaise, that would be like saying that I OWN the 80's, and you can't OWN a decade...although, if I could, I would definitely pick the 80's.:)_

CHAPTER 29: I'm Here To Listen

Still hiding out in the classroom on the first floor, Daf and Kyle were now engaged in an act of extreme perserverance and concentration known as...the thumb - war.

"...Ow! _Oww_....damnit, woman! I thought manicures were supposed to be a regular activity for you uptown girls?" Kyle whined, as he snatched his hand back and examined the nail - marks Daf had made in his thumb.

"OK..._uptown _girls?" Daf asked, giving him a teasing smile.

"It's a song," Kyle told her "...It just means - "

" - I know what it means, I've heard the song," she replied. "But in case ya didn't notice, Andrews, there's no _uptown_ in Shermer....actually I don't think there's any in Illinois, at all."

"I've heard there's one in Chicago," Kyle commented.

Daf smirked.

"Anyway...I'm not really that kind of girl, anyway," she mumbled, looking away from him.

"So what kind of girl are you?" he asked.

Daf shrugged.

"You tell me," she said.

Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you want me to do that?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, sitting up a bit straighter ontop of the desk "...take your best shot."

Kyle nodded, then stood up and walked around the desk so he could stand right in front of her.

"You...." he began "...are Daffodil August Pearson, which I will take to the grave, I promise."

Daf smiled.

"...You're a private person, but you also like to gossip with your friends,you have a sensitive side, but you're also tough, you're crazy _and _you're beautiful," he smirked at that last part, "...but mainly, you're heartbroken."

Daf's smile faltered a little.

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"I am _not_!"

"Might I remind you that you _asked_ me to do this little character study, so you really have no right to get worked up," Kyle reminded her.

Daf didn't say anything at first, she just hopped off of the desk, and walked past Kyle to the front of the room.

"...You leaving?" he asked.

"You really think Sean had that much of an effect on me, don't you?" she asked, turning to face him.

Kyle shrugged.

"Did he?"

"No."

He nodded.

"...OK."

Daf gave him a questioning look.

"OK?"

"If you say he didn't, then he didn't," said Kyle "...I believe you."

With a small smile, Daf nodded, and began to walk over to the desk.

" - But that just means that something else did it," Kyle continued.

Startled, Daf turned back around.

"...Did what?" she asked.

"...Broke your heart," he said.

"Why do you care?" she asked, a bit flustered.

Kyle shrugged.

"Everybody's got something to say...something they're not sure everybody wants to hear," he said,"and after my dad died, my mom had to pay a guy to listen to what I had to say....I'm just offering you a less - expensive solution."

Daf stayed silent for another moment, then she walked over to Kyle and sat down ontop of her desk, again.

"I have a twin sister," she said,"and she's deaf. So, it's just been...hard, because I can't ever yell at her when I'm mad, because I know she can't hear me, and she can't sing with me to the radio, and she never wants to go out with me and my friends, because she feels like they'd just judge her, or make fun of her. That's why my mom sometimes makes me stay home on Friday nights...instead of going out to the movies, or going on a date, I stay home and keep my sister company."

"So...you resent your sister?" Kyle asked.

"No! No, that's not it at all," Daf argued. "I just...I just wish we could be like ordinary twin sisters, sometimes."

"Well, _of course_ you do," Kyle told her, sitting next to her on the desk,"...but you're never gonna be. Which, if you ask me, is great, because there's no such thing as ordinary, anyway. I mean, think about it, what's ordinary, really?"

"Ordinary is twin sisters going shopping, and going to the movies, and having their own special language that no one else can understand - "

"But you _can_ do that stuff," he told her. "You can go shopping with her, and you can still go to the movies, cuz they have hearing devices for deaf people - "

" - She wouldn't hear anything," Daf pointed out.

"Well, OK, no, she wouldn't _hear_ anything..." Kyle corrected himself "...but she could read subtitles! And as far as your own language...? You talk to each other using your hands, right?"

"Well, yeah..." said Daf.

"And would any of your friends be able to understand you if you did sign language in front of them...?" he asked.

"Well, no....but then they'd feel left out - !"

"So screw 'em!" Kyle exclaimed. "If they have a problem with you wanting to talk to your sister, or your sister wanting to talk to you....then they're dicks!....Well, actually, I've met quite a few of your friends, and they _are_ dicks, so - "

" - Yeah, yeah, I get it," she said, cutting him off, then she smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

Kyle smirked, and lightly patted her on the shoulder.

"...You'll get my bill in the mail," he said.

"I'll tear it up," she replied.

"You would."

Daf laughed, then she glanced back at Kyle.

"What?" he asked.

She reached behind him, putting her hand on the back of his neck, then she leaned in and kissed him.

It was short and sweet, and when Daf pulled away from him, Kyle had a puzzled look on his face.

"What was that for?" he asked.

Daf smiled.

"That was a thank you," she said.

"Oh," he said...then he leaned in and kissed her.

When he pulled away, she was the one with the slightly puzzled expression on her face.

"...That was a 'you're welcome'," he told her.

Daf laughed, and they leaned in to kiss each other again...when Kyle's cell phone rang.

"...Crap," he grumbled.

Straightening up, he pulled the phone out of his pocket, and when he noticed Nick's name on the Caller ID, he rolled his eyes.

"What...?" he snapped,answering the phone.

"..._We have a problem_."

* * *

_Oh boy, what have they gotten into now? Trouble seems to follow Nick everywhere, but did he really have it coming this time? Or was this someone else's fault?_

_And what's Sean going to have to say about Daf and Kyle?_

_And WHERE is Vernon?_

_Please stay tuned for all the answers!!!!!!_

_And did I mention....IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_So review please!!!_

_- IGottaFindYou_


	31. What Now?

_Author's Note:_ _All I can day is, happy belated Christmas, everybody.:)_

_Disclaimer: If you guys haven't gotten it by now, then you obviously haven't been paying much attention.:)_

Chapter 30: ...What Now?

* * *

_Won't you come see about me?  
I'll be alone, dancing, you know it, baby_

* * *

After Daf and Kyle left the classroom, they ran down the hallway, turned the corner...and the first thing they both saw was Nick standing over Richard Vernon's body.

"Dude...what the _hell_ did you do?" Kyle asked.

"Nothing, I swear...!" Nick insisted. "We just...found him like this!"

"Wait...'we'?" Daf asked.

"Yeah," Nick replied,"me and - "

Just then, Connie and Sean rounded the corner at the other end of the hallway.

"HOLY SHIT!" Sean yelled, as they ran up to the three of them "...who killed Vernon?"

"It wasn't me!" Nick insisted.

"...It was Nick!" Daf and Kyle replied at the same time.

Nick glared at the two of them.

"Look, we don't even know if he's actually dead!" Connie told them. "We just came out and found him like this!"

"...Came out where?" Daf asked.

"...Out of the closet," Connie replied, gesturing to the closet door.

Sean stifled a laugh. "Nick came out of the closet..."

Kyle started to chuckle, too, but stopped when he saw Nick glaring at him.

"Ok, OK, y'know what...? This is easily fixable," Kyle insisted, as he squatted down in front of Vernon.

"...Easily fixable?" exclaimed Daf, who had clearly begun to panic. "How the HELL is this at ALL fixable? Our principal is dead!"

"- _Possibly_ dead," Nick pointed out.

"No, no...it's still OK," Kyle told them "...believe me, I've seen enough of those CSI shows to know what to do in these situations."

Nick groaned and rolled his eyes and Kyle stood up.

"OK," Kyle began, turning to Sean "...I'm gonna need some bleach, some scotch tape, a black light, and a pair of designer sunglasses!" then he turned to Nick "...I don't suppose you have any of that in your jacket, do you?"

Nick frowned, and was about to start searching through his pockets when Connie spoke up.

"Uh, Kyle...?" she said "...you do realize that the CSI's usually find out who did it, right?"

Kyle paused for a second, then his face fell, and he glanced at Nick.

"...Oh yeah," he grumbled.

"OK, people, we need to focus here!" Daf exclaimed. "Our principal is freakin' DEAD, here! Shouldn't we call 911?"

"No..." said Nick "...we should be listening to Nick, who's been trying to point out for the last few minutes that _we don't actually know if he's really dead_!"

Everyone froze.

Sean glanced at Nick, then looked over at Connie.

"You mean you guys didn't even check to make sure...?" he asked her.

Connie opened her mouth to speak, but as she looked around at the rest of them, she couldn't seem to form a reply.

"...Well, it's _Vernon_!" she finally exclaimed. "He was scary enough when he was alive, now that he's possibly dead, he's just - !"

" - Well, you two are the ones that found him, so you should be the ones to check!" Daf snapped.

Suddenly they all started talking at once, none of them wanting to be the one to check and see if the old man was still alive.

"I vote Nick!" Sean suggested.

"...Me? Why not you?" Nick asked "...you're the big tough jock, aren't ya?"

"Yeah, but I got punched out by a girl, so how tough can I really be?" Sean pointed out.

"...Oh, we are _not_ gonna start this again!" Connie snapped, turning toward him.

"She's right, we're not!" Daf shouted "...because we have an actually issue to deal with, right now! We can have more of our petty little arguments later!"

"...Actually, we can't," said Nick, looking down at a wristwatch he had in his hand.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"Well, according to a wristwatch I just happened to find in my jacket..." said Nick "...a watch which I'm fairly certain tells the accurate time...it's close to four o'clock."

"How close?" Connie asked.

Nick was just about to answer, when he suddenly looked down.

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

"I think his hand just touched my foot," Nick replied.

They all looked down at Vernon.

"Are you sure?" Daf asked, "maybe your foot just touched his hand."

"Daf, I haven't moved since I came out of the janitor's closet and found his body lying on the floor!" Nick told her.

"Well, so if he did move than that means he's alive!" Sean pointed out "...which means we're not in trouble!"

Glancing at Sean doubtfully, Nick slowly got into a squatting position in front of Vernon.

"...I'm always in trouble," he mumbled, then he slowly reached for Vernon's wrist, to check for his pulse.

...And like a flash, Vernon was up and had Nick pinned against the wall, with his hand around his throat.

"...You're damn right you are," the old man growled "...I'm glad you finally realized that."

"Holy shit, the old geezer's alive!" Sean exclaimed.

"Yeah, and he's also gonna kill Nick!" Kyle pointed out, before he started to pull on vernon's arm.

"Vernon, you're gonna kill him! Let him go!" Connie cried, as Vernon shoved both Kyle and Sean away from him, still keeping a hold on Nick.

"Oh my God..." Daf murmered "...he's actually trying to kill him!"

"You were trouble ever since you set foot in this school..." Vernon told Nick, ignoring everyone else around them "...and I knew it, too."

"Well, I always knew you were a smart guy," Nick replied, his voice strained due to the pressure on his throat.

Vernom glared at him, then he turned to look at the rest of them.

"...There's always one!" he yelled "...there's always one stupid dick with a smug face who I see walk through these halls, thinkin' he owns the place, thinkin' that he can do _anything_ he wants around here and he'll just get away with it because he's just so damn smart."

He then glanced over at Connie.

"Your old man was one of 'em," he told her, then he glanced at Nick "...and you're _another_ one of them!"

"...Did ya ever consider that you might be one of 'em, too?" Connie asked, in a defiant voice.

Vernon glared at her.

"Shut it, Bender," he growled.

"Yeah, _shut it, Bender_," said Nick, giving her a look.

"Will you stop trying to be so damn macho and let me take care of myself?!" Connie argued.

"Oh, I would, but this is so very fun for me!" Nick shot back, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Vernon, just let him go!" Connie pleaded.

"No!" Vernon replied.

"_Please_ let him go...?" said Sean.

"NO!"

"...Let him go, Mr. Vernon!"

"Just let him go"  
"Let him go, you're gonna kill him!"

"Let him go!"

"Let him go!"

"LET HIM GO!"

Startled, they all turned to see Gus standing at the far end of the hallway.

Despite having a hand around his throat, Nick smiled.

"...Gus - Gus!" he squeaked.

"...Saved by the janitor!" Kyle and Sean muttered, at the same time...then they glanced at each other, smirked, and pounded fists.

"Hi, Gus - Gus!" Nick greeted, his voice still raspy, even though Vernon's grip had loosened a little.

"Gus, this doesn't concern you..." Vernon told the custodian, as he walked over to them.

"...Actually, Richard, it does concern me," Gus replied "...it greatly concerns me, because now I see that I left these young people in the care of a homicidal maniac!"

"Ooh...burn," said Daf.

Kyle smirked at her.

"Let go of the kid, Richard," Gus ordered "...or I'm gonna recommend to the Board of Education that they request your resignation, immediately...as a matter of fact, I think I'll do that, anyway."

Vernon took his hand off of Nick's throat and turned to face Gus.

"...You wouldn't do that to me, Gus," he told him,with a nervous laugh, "we're _friends_, after all!"

"weel, then, as a _friend_, I'm just gonna recommend that you go clean out your office, instead of leading you out of the school by force," Gus told him, taking a step closer to the older man.

"You wouldn't," Vernon challenged.

"...Would and could, Richard," Gus replied.

"...The janitor's gonna take down the principal!" Connie whispered to Nick.

"I believe this is what they call a 'power - shift'," Nick told her.

Gus nodded to Vernon, in the direction of the principal's office.

"...Go, Richard," he said.

With a scowl, Vernon brushed past Kyle and Sean and started down the hall...then, he turned back, suddenly.

"...They'll never replace me in time for the end of the school year," he said.

"...Actually, they will," Gus told him "...the board's had another guy lined up for your job for months now, they were just waiting for you to retire."

Vernon scowled, then turned around and continued to walk quickly down the hall, toward the principal's office.

As he turned the corner and vanished from sight, all five teenagers turned and stared at Gus.

"...What?" Gus asked.

"...I guess ya finally got that water heater fixed, huh big guy?" Nick asked, with a smirk.

Gus shrugged.

"...I dunno, after a few hours I just gave up and called a repair man," he replied, with a smirk of his own.

"It took you _that long_ to decide you should call a repair man?" Daf asked.

Gus's grumpy expression immediately returned.

"So sue me, I'm stubborn," he said.

They all just continued to stare at him for a moment...then they all hugged him.

"...Ah, geez!" the older man grumbled.

"...We love you, Gus - Gus!"

"Shut up, Harrison!"

"Uhhh...what's going on, here?"

They all turned to see a dark - haired woman standing at the end of the hallway, looking a little confused.

"...MOM!" Kyle exclaimed, and let go of Gus to run over to her.

"...KYLE'S MOM!" Nick exclaimed, and also let go of Gus to run over to his friend's mother.

The two boys nearly knocked her over when they hugged her, but Allison hugged them back and acted like this kind of thing was normal for her.

"Awww...Kyle's huggin' his mommy!" Sean muttered to the girls, in a teasing voice.

The two girls turned and stared at him, both of them smiling.

"...What?" he asked.

"You're totally homesick for your mom now, aren't you?" Daf asked, grinning.

Sean snorted. "...No!"

"You can go hug her, y'know," Connie told him.

"What?" Daf asked.

"I can?" Sean asked.

"Yeah," Connie replied, "she loves hugs."

"You remember that from when you were little?" Daf asked.

"No, Nick told me," Connie replied.

Sean paused for a second, then started down the hall.

"Uh...Kyle's mom...?" he called, as he jogged toward her.

The two girls both smiled as they watched Sean hug a woman he didn't even know. Nick made an 'awww' sound, and Kyle snapped a picture with his phone.

Daf then turned back to Connie, a questioning look on her face.

"So, speaking of Nick..." she began.

"What about him?" Connie asked.

Daf smirked, and tugged on a strand of Connie's dirty - blonde hair that had been pushed behind her ear.

"...Your hair's down," she said.

Connie frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"Your hair," said Daf, "it's down...before, when you were in the classroom with me and Kyle, it was pulled back."

Connie's eyes widened a little, and she laughed, nervously, as she smoothed down her hair.

"Oh...is it?" she asked "...Oh, well, I guess I was just tired of having it held back, and decided to take the elastic out."

Daf nodded, still smirking.

"Mm - hmm...so you found the _opportune moment_ to let it down?" she asked.

Realizing what the other girl meant, Connie gave her a look.

"_Nooo_..." she replied, in a mocking tone.

"...Oh so it was _longer_ than a moment?" Daf asked, grinning.

"OK, you're annoying me now," Connie told her.

"...You didn't answer my question."

"That's because there was no moment, OK? No moment, now shut up!" Connie told her.

"You were in the closet with a guy and you're telling me there was _no_ moment...?" Daf asked.

"Well, there was _a_ moment, but it wasn't _the_ moment," Connie explained

"Ah..." said Daf, nodding.

The two girls stood in silence for a second, then Daf turned back to Connie.

"So you got _nothin_'?" she asked.

"OK, you're annoying me now!" Connie told her.

"...Connie?"

At the mention of her name, Connie turned and looked down the hall...where her mother was standing a few inches from the boys and Kyle's mom.

"...Mom!" Connie exclaimed.

"...CONNIE'S MOM!" the three boys exclaimed, and hugged Claire.

Claire gave a yelp of surprise, and Connie and Daf stopped right in the middle of the hallway and started to laugh.

Kyle's mom was laughing too, as she gave Claire a little wave.

"Hi, Claire," she greeted.

"...Hello, Allison," Claire replied, trying to peer over Nick "...long time."

Allison nodded, then went over to her son.

"Kyle..." she said, trying to pry her son's arms off of Connie's mother "...honey, it's time to go."

"What?" Kyle asked "...oh right."

So he let go of Claire, and, giving her an apologetic smile, tried to pry Nick away from her as well.

"C'mon, Nick, let's go," he coaxed, trying pull Nick away.

"...I drove myself here," Nick reminded him, momentarily looking away from the red - haired woman he was embracing.

" - Oh, right," Kyle muttered, letting go of his friend and turning to his mother.

"uhh...I'll meet you in the car, OK?" he said, as he glanced over at Daf.

Allison followed his gaze and smiled.

"OK, sport," she said, "but just remember we have a stop to make on the way home."

"Yeah, I know," Kyle replied.

So with a smile to her son, and a wave to Claire, Allison headed out of the school.

Kyle walked over to the girls and glanced over at Connie.

"umm, Bender, can we..." he gestured to Daf "...have a minute?"

Connie glanced between the two of them and a look of realization came over her face.

"..Oh, sure!" she exclaimed. "I have to...go pry the guys off of my mom, anyway."

So Connie headed down the hall, leaving Kyle and Daf alone.

* * *

_Tell me your troubles and doubts _

_Giving me everything, inside and out_

* * *

For a moment they just shared an awkward silence, then Kyle smiled.

"So..." he said.

"So..." Daf muttered, returning his smile.

Suddenly he held out his hand.

"...Gimme your phone," he said.

Daf gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked.

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"_Please_ gimme your phone?" he asked.

"What do you want my phone for?" Daf asked.

"I'm gonna steal it, I've always had a thing for the color pink," Kyle replied, dryly.

Daf rolled her eyes.

"...Smart - ass," she muttered, handing him her phone.

"...And proud of it, thank you," Kyle retorted, as he started pressing buttons on the phone.

"What're you doing, anyway?" Daf asked.

"...Putting my cell number on your speed dial," he replied.

"OK...why?" she asked.

He shrugged, and handed the phone back to her.

"I dunno," said Kyle, "I just thought...y'know, if ya ever need to yell, or fight with somebody, maybe go to a movie..."

Daf raised an eyebrow, and, noticing this, Kyle quickly continued.

"...And y'know, nobody else is available, you could always call me...y'know, if ya want," he said.

Daf smiled.

"...A movie, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied "...and if you ever wanted to...y'know, bring somebody else along, I'd be cool with that."

Daf's smile got even bigger.

"Really?" she asked.

Kyle nodded.

"Sure," he said "...the more, the merrier."

"Well, I just may take you up on that," she said, "y'know...sometime."

Kyle smiled.

"I look forward to it," he said "...see ya around."

But before Kyle got three steps away from her, Daf called after him.

"Hey, Kyle...?"

He turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"...Did your mom say you guys were making a stop on the way home?" she asked.

Kyle smiled.

"Yeah," he said, "she and my _former_ stepdad have been divorced for about a year now, so we're going to register to get our last names changed again."

Daf nodded.

"So you're gonna be Kyle Reynolds?" she asked.

Kyle shook his head.

"...Kyle Clark," he said.

With that, he walked down the hallway, patted Nick on the shoulder as he passed him, and left.

* * *

_Love's strange, so real in the dark _

_Think Of the tender things that we were working on_

* * *

After Kyle left, Nick looked over at Connie.

"...Why do I feel like I'm supposed to buy him something?" Nick asked, referring to Kyle.

"You owe him a cookie," Connie reminded him.

Nick snapped his fingers.

"...Right! Connie Bender, what would I do without you?" he exclaimed, then he glanced over at Claire "...that's one great girl you've got there, Mrs. B."

"uhh...thank you," Claire replied, still trying to recall if she knew this boy whose arm remained around her shoulders.

Noticing the uncomfortable look on her mother's face, Connie decided to give her some relief.

"Nick..."

"...Yes, dear?"

Ignoring the way her mother looked at her when Nick said that, Connie smirked.

"...You can let my mom go now," she said.

"Oh, right...!" Nick exclaimed, letting go of Claire, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve. "Sorry, just wanted to get to know my future mother - in - law."

"NICK...!"

Nick glanced over at Connie.

"...Too soon?" he asked.

Connie nodded.

"...Little bit, yeah," she replied.

"OK...so this one's my future son - in - law..." said Claire, glancing at Nick, then she glanced over at Sean, who still had his arm around her "...but what's your excuse?"

"Oh, don't mind him, he's just lonely," Nick told her.

Sean glared at him and extended his hand for Connie's mom to shake.

"Sean Dawson, ma'am..." he said "I had the absolute pleasure of being decked by your daughter earlier this week."

"Oh...!" Claire exclaimed, then glanced over at Connie "...so this is the athlete?"

Connnie nodded.

"Yeah Mom, that's him," she replied.

Claire glanced back at Sean.

"Well, Sean, I do hope that my daughter made use of the time she had here today - "

" - Oh, she did! I would know, I helped her," Nick cut in, grinning.

Claire glanced over at Nick, then gave Connie a suspicious look.

"Uh huh...." Claire murmered, then she turned her attention back to Sean "...as I was about to say, I do hope my daughter gave you the apology you deserved."

"Oh, it's OK, Mrs. Bender, I...kinda had it coming," Sean admitted, then glanced over at Nick "...that's what a guy gets for being un - gentleman - like, I guess."

"...Just don't forget that," said Connie.

"Connie!" Claire exclaimed.

"It's OK, Mrs. Bender, really," Sean assured her, then he removed his arm from around his shoulders and looked around at the other four, standing in the hallway.

"...I guess I'll see you guys on Monday," he said, then he turned and started down the hall, heading for the front doors.

"Hey, Sporty - Spice...!" Nick called after him.

With a small groan, Sean turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"Don' forget what you learned here, today," Nick told him.

Sean smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah...DV has VD..." he muttered.

"...And don't you forget it!" Nick called after him.

Sean rolled his eyes, gave Nick a thumbs - up, then turned and continued heading for the front doors.

Suddenly, Daf started after him.

"Hey, Sean, hang on...!" she called after him.

* * *

_Slow change may pull us apart _

_When the light gets into your heart, baby_

* * *

Groaning, Sean stopped and waited for her to catch up to him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Daf gave him a puzzled look.

"Well...you were my ride here," she pointed out.

Realizing what she meant, Sean nodded.

"...You are still good for a ride home, aren't you?" Daf asked "y'know, for a friend...?"

Sean actually managed a small smile.

"...A friend, huh?" he asked.

"Well, I am still pissed at you for the whole Mackenzie Luddman thing," Daf told him, giving him a glare "...but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to lose you completely."

Sean's smile suddenly got a little bigger.

"...At least, not to a slut like Mackenzie Luddman," Daf finished, then she smirked.

Sean nodded.

"OK, then," he said, as they continued walking down the hall "...but you're paying for gas."

"What? I thought you said you had a full tank!" Daf exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Well, yeah, but I never said _when_ I had a full tank...!" Sean pointed out.

Daf rolled her eyes then glanced over her shoulder and waved at Nick and Connie, who waved back.

When Daf and Sean had disappeared from sight, Nick looked over at Connie.

"And then there were two," he said, then glanced at Claire "...uh, I mean, three."

"No, no, two is right," Claire told him, then she glanced at Connie.

"I'll just go and wait in the car, don't be too long," she told her.

"I won't," Connie promised.

"OK then...nice to meet you, Nick," said Claire, then something caused Claire to stop and she turned back to the two teenagers.

"Uh, Nick..." she said "...I don't mean to be rude, but would you consider yourself somewhat of a, uh...rebellious person?"

"Absolutely," Nick replied, as Connie gave her mother a puzzled look.

Claire nodded.

"Uh huh..." she mumbled, with a smirk "...I thought so."

She then turned and continued down the hall, heading for the front doors.

When she was gone, Nick glanced over at Connie.

"Is your mom like, an expert on reading people, or something?" he asked.

"Actually, I think that was more about me than it was about you," Connie told him.

"Huh..." Nick muttered, with a nod "...well, your mom seems nice, and I don't just mean that because she let three complete strangers hug her, either."

Connie chuckled.

"Yeah, my mom's great," she agreed, "my dad's great, too, I wish you could've met him...cuz there's a slight possibility that he may have liked you."

"Well, that's good to know," he said, stepping closer to her "...I can't wait to test that theory out tonight."

Connie frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What's tonight?"

Nick smirked.

"That's when I come to your house, meet your parents, hopefully get an autograph from your dad, than take you to dinner and a movie," he told her.

Connie grinned.

"...in the pick - up truck?" she asked.

"...In the pick - up truck," he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Connie smiled, then suddenly she frowned.

"Dinner isn't gonna be like two slices of pizza you're hiding in your jacket, is it?" she asked.

"Why, would that gross you out?" he asked.

Connie shrugged.

"Maybe a little..." she said "...'course, it would probably impress me, too."

Nick smirked.

"You wanna hear about impressive, you should hear about some of the stuff I've stuffed into Ol' Faithful here," he told her, gesturing to his leather jacket.

"OK, what kind of stuff _have_ you stuffed in there?" Connie asked.

Nick paused for a moment, and thought it over.

"At one time...?" he asked. " Let's see, one of the thicker Harry Potter books, an ipod, two magazines, two cellphones, a baton, a set of drumsticks, a key with about ten keychains attached to it, four wristwatches one small clock off the mantel, one wallet holding about a hundred dollars in ten dollar bills, a pack of Sharpees, a roll of duct tape, and a Beanie Baby."

Connie's eyes were wide, and for a moment she was speechless...then she burst out laughing.

"...and you couldn't even really tell that most of that stuff was in here," Nick added, gesturing to his jacket.

"That is...amazing," said Connie.

Nick shrugged.

"Well, yeah...I mean, it is _me_ we're talking about, here," he pointed out.

Connie rolled her eyes, and was leaning in to kiss him, when Nick suddenly stopped her.

"...Actually, I just remembered something I've been wanting to ask you," he told her.

"OK...shoot," she said.

"...Ya have to promise that you'll still love me after I'm done asking," he told her.

Connie rolled her eyes.

"I'll consider it," she said.

Nick grinned.

"So you _do_ love me...!" he exclaimed.

"You've got five seconds and then I'm walking away," she told him, "five, four - "

" - What did you do to get up on the wall in the boys' washroom?" Nick asked.

Connie's eyes widened.

"What?" she asked.

Nick bit his lip, nervously.

"When, uh, me and Sean were cleaning the boys' washroom, I noticed that somebody had written your name and number on the wall," he told her, "and I was just curious as to why."

Connie sighed.

"I went out with a guy on the basketball team a few months ago - " she began.

" - What's his name? I'll kill him," Nick cut in.

"...I thought you wanted to hear this story?" Connie asked.

"Oh...right yeah," Nick muttered.

"...Anyway," Connie continued "...he tried to take it a bit too far, which was something I didn't appreciate, and then, to get back at me for turning him down, he told me he wrote my name and number on the bathroom wall."

"...I repeat my previous statement," Nick told her.

Connie smirked.

"You don't have to," she told him, "after I told my parents what he did, my dad ...kinda made him afraid for his life."

Nick nodded.

"...But he still didn't take your name and number off the wall," he said.

"No, I guess he didn't," she said.

Nick smirked, and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

"...Well, I did," he told her.

She smiled, then kissed him.

"Pick me up at seven," she said, after pulling away.

Nick smirked.

"Will do," he said, then he pulled a wristwatch from his pocket and glanced at it "...but for now, I must go, I still have to buy Kyle that cookie, after all."

Connie smiled as he took her hand and kissed it.

"It's been charming, Connie," he told her.

"Oh, it's been a pleasure, Nick," she replied.

He smirked, put his arm around her, and walked with her out of the school.

When they got outside, Nick stopped and looked around.

"What is it?" Connie asked.

"My God..." he murmered "...the _sun_! I can see the sun, again!"

Connie rolled her eyes and walked over to her family's SUV, which was parked at the curb.

"...Don't be late, tonight," she told him, as she opned the back door.

"Yes, dear!" he replied.

She smiled, and Nick waved as she got into the car, then he started to walk toward his truck.

Claire turned in her seat to look back at Connie and she smiled.

"So, he seems...nice," she said.

Connie nodded, with a smile.

"Yeah, he is," she said, then she noticed that her mother was in the passenger seat, and no one was in the driver's seat.

"Did Dad come, too?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, he's still inside," Claire told her.

Connie frowned.

"...He went inside?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said he just wanted to take a look around, y'know, for nostalgia's sake," her mother replied, with a smile.

* * *

_Don't you forget about me _

_Don't don't don't don't _

_Don't you, forget about me_

* * *

Richard Vernon moved quickly around his office, trying to shove all of his belongings into a box he kept near the filing cabinet.

Just as he started to wonder whether or not he would get away with assaulting his desk with a stapler, he heard a knock on the door behind him.

"Gus, the door's open, so you can obviously see that I'm packing up all my shit and trying to get out of here, just as you requested," he snapped, not bothering to turn around.

"Oh...leaving so soon, Dick?"

Vernon froze.

...He knew that voice.

Slowly, the old man turned around and saw John Bender standing in the doorway of the small office.

"...Bender," he grumbled, with a mix of hatred...and dread.

Bender smirked.

"...You movin' out, Dick?" Bender asked, as he walked into the office, and looked around.

"I'm retiring, if you must know," Vernon told him.

"Good for you, sir!" Bender exclaimed, fingering the leaves of the plant Vernon had on his desk. "You're finally graduating from high school!"

Vernon glared at the other man.

"Uh huh..." he murmered "...I'll be rid of them, and they'll be rid of me, is that it?"

"I didn't say that, Dick," said Bender.

"But it was implied!" Vernon snapped. "I know it was!"

Bender shrugged."Think whatever ya want, Dick."

Vernon rolled his eyes and continued to toss items into the cardboard box.

"But I guess I should thank you for looking after my daughter today," said Bender, with a smile, "I know she can be quite a handful - "

" - Yeah, and you're just damn proud of her for that, aren't you, Bender?" Vernon snapped, slamming a book down on the desk. "You're just so damn proud that you raised a kid to be exactly like you, aren't ya?"

"Me? Hell no, if Connie takes after anyone, it's her mother!" Bender insisted.

Vernon rolled his eyes and let out some curses under his breath as he tossed a stapler into the box.

"...C'mon, Dick, you should be happy!" Bender exclaimed, "you're finally gettin' outta here! But instead, you just look...like somebody knocked your dick in the dirt."

Vernon froze, then raised his head to stare at Bender.

"Ah, well...happy trails, Dick," said Bender, as he walked out of the office, then he popped his head back in and grinned.

"And hey...don't you forget about me," he said.

Vernon scowled at him, but Bender just winked and walked away.

As Bender walked down the hall, he spotted Gus, who was headed in the opposite direction.

"Oh, excuse me," said Bender, causing Gus to stop "...would you happen to know who's replacing Mr. Vernon as head principal?"

"From what I hear, it's a guy named Brian Johnson," Gus told him.

Bender grinned.

"No shit!" he exclaimed.

"None whatsoever, sir," Gus replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me sir, I have to go clean the boys' bathroom...seems the kids who were supposed to clean it today, didn't do as good of a job as they said they did."

Bender nodded.

"Of course, thank you," he said, and the two men then went their seperate ways.

* * *

When John got back out to the car, Claire and Connie gave him puzzled looks.

As he buckled his seatbelt and started up the car, John looked over at his wife, and back at his daughter.

"...What?" he asked.

"You have a nice trip down memory lane, John?" Claire asked, trying not to smile.

John nodded, and smirked.

"Yes," he said "...yes, I did."

"Well, then...?" Connie asked.

John frowned, as he started to drive out of the parking lot. "Well, then, WHAT?"

"Connie's ready for you to tell her about our detention, now," Claire told him.

"Well...I dunno..."

"Oh, c'mon, Dad!" Connie pleaded. "C'mon, you tell me about yours and I'll tell you about _mine_."

John rolled his eyes.

"Alright fine..." he said, giving in. "It was March 24, 1984, I hadn't even entered the school yet, and I had already narrowly escaped getting hit by a car...."

* * *

T H E E N D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

_Special thanks to John Hughes for creating such an awesome movie, Simple Minds for creating such an awesome song (Which was the song the lyrics in this chapter are from, of course), Darkness49 for giving me the inspiration for Nick's jacket - inventory, MidnightBlue88 for inspiring me to write this story in the first place, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU LOVELY, LOYAL, and PATIENT REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_This is the first fanfiction I ever wrote for this website, and now it's finally done._

_...Geez, it feels like an era has ended!_

_Ah, but I still have another story I need to get crackin' on, too! It's a Pirates Of The Caribbean story, if anyone ever wants to check it out._

_Thank you all for learning to read, and then putting that skill to good use by reading this story!!!!!!_

_Peace, Love, Ducks & Monkeys,_

_- IGottaFindYou_


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